By Ben Wittstein

The value of traditional education can vary widely across the country. While a college degree has long been viewed as a critical step toward the American dream, burgeoning costs have led many to reconsider the return-on-investment of higher education. Meanwhile, local economies and individual circumstances can push some toward learning a trade or entering the workforce early

These considerations aside, the national statistics show a clear difference in earnings as they relate to educational attainment, as college graduates typically earn 65% more than those with only a high school degree.

To help understand areas with the lowest educational attainment, Stacker [thestacker.com] used data from the 2012–2016 American Community Survey to construct a weighted index which measures the relative education level for every county in the United States.

This index evaluates each county’s over-25 population across seven educational tiers, ranging from individuals not educated past eighth grade to those with graduate or professional degrees.

For each segment of these tiers, a points-based indexing system was applied in direct proportion to the estimated years of schooling for each level of educational attainment.

Lastly, the full range of index scores was normalized to a 0 to 100 scale, with 100 representing the most educated county in the United States.

We’ve included supporting educational attainment data as well as how it ranks nationally. Read on to explore the least educated county in North Carolina.

The least educated county in North Carolina is Tyrrell County, and here are the Stacker stats:

• Education index: 74.58
• Less than 9th grade: 7.1%
• 9th to 12th grade, no diploma: 18.4%
• High school graduate or equivalent: 41.8%
• Some college, no degree: 18.7%
• Associate’s degree: 6.3%
• Bachelor’s degree: 4.7%
• Graduate or professional degree: 2.9%
• Rank among all US counties: 3,067 / 3,142

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Supt. Oliver Holley’s Response

This correspondence is sent in response to the published MSN Money Report that listed Tyrrell County as the “Least Educated County in North Carolina”. In my opinion, there is a question of content and motive. The data appears to be more reflective of the change in the economic and agricultural economy of our great nation; and less representative of the educational systems of the counties included. Many of the communities described in the article have experienced a decline in economic growth and sustainability over time.

In Tyrrell County Schools, we pride ourselves on providing the foundation to an excellent education, along with advanced certificate programs that prepare our students to work in the workplace of a growing job market. Unfortunately, much of rural America has seen a loss of those jobs due to the opportunities of urbanized areas or outsourcing overseas. Tyrrell County Schools continue to provide a quality education and exposure to our students. However, many students leave the county/region in pursuit of higher paying career opportunities and many do not return.

Tyrrell County Schools offers over 15 credentialing programs for students to get certified in the areas of health, safety and technology. The success of the students is well known in our region and state. 79% of CHS students are enrolled in Career and Technical Education courses in preparation for life after high school.  In addition, the graduation rates of Columbia High School have exceeded the state average each year. In 2018, the Tyrrell County Schools graduation rate was 89.4 (state avg= 86.3) and in 2017 the graduation rate was 92.3 (state avg= 86.5).

According to the 2019 North Carolina Community College Equity Report,  Columbia High School was recognized as the school having the highest percentage of dually enrolled students in the state. According to this report during the 2018-2019 school year, 62% of the high school population is dually enrolled in at least one college course at Beaufort County Community College.

In order to continue to meet the post-secondary needs of our students, a partnership with Pitt Community College was formed to provide training opportunities while meeting the needs of the growing pharmaceutical industry. Those students will be able to transfer those college credits to any campus in the University of North Carolina System.

As a district, it is our job to prepare our students for the ever-changing national and international job market. By doing so, the students are equipped to go and take full advantage of those opportunities. Although the preparation often leads to one of the valuable residents leaving this wonderful county of Tyrrell, the result is still a reflection of the community’s commitment to preparing the children to be prepared to compete in the global job market. So, although there may be data to support an alternative view of Tyrrell County, the educational scope reflects healthy, active, and productive global citizens in the students of Tyrrell County Schools.