Year in Review: EdNC’s top articles of 2025

It’s been a big year for education and a big year for EdNC.

In addition to winning the N.C. Press Association’s public service award, we hit our annual targets for users and pageviews in October. Neither would have happened without our readers.

We’ve compiled a list of our top articles for the year categorized by news, policy, features, and perspectives.

If there was an article that was impactful for you that is not included on any of these lists, please let us know by emailing alindenberg@ednc.org.

Top news overall

This first list is our top ten news articles with the most overall pageviews.

1. Trump signs seven more executive orders impacting K-12 and higher ed, with 190,487 pageviews
2. U.S. Department of Education bans educational institutions from considering race
3. During National School Choice Week, Trump issues executive order to use federal funds to expand choice
4. After senior appointees announced, U.S. Department of Ed acts to ‘eliminate DEI’
5. From a $186 million funding freeze to the big budget bill, news out of DC and its impact on education
6. Trump’s order designating English as the official language applies to federal agencies, does not require or direct change in services
7. A trio of letters from the U.S. Department of Education further shape Trump-McMahon education policy
8. Memo calling for review, analysis, pause, and oversight of federal financial assistance rescinded, but questions remain
9. U.S. Department of Education: ‘There will not be any mass loan forgiveness’
10. Mo Green is sworn in as state superintendent, starts tenure by thanking educators

Top news for our NC readers

This list is our top ten news articles with the most pageviews from North Carolina.

1. Gov. Stein’s first budget proposal includes average 10.6% teacher raises, restores master’s pay
2. Board of State Health Plan moves to set premiums based on salary tiers
3. North Carolina releases school performance grades, testing data for 2024-25
4. A new fiscal year begins July 1. Here’s what no budget means for NC educator pay
5. State Health Plan Board of Trustees considers options to raise premiums, make other changes
6. New rankings released for public high schools in North Carolina
7. Senate passes budget with multiple education items, including teacher raises
8. General Assembly passes mini-budget with funds for salary step increases, enrollment growth
9. House budget calls for master’s pay and higher raises for beginning teachers
10. State Health Plan Board of Trustees votes on benefit changes for state employees

Other top news contenders

The list is our top ten news articles chosen by our news and content director, Hannah Vinueza McClellan.

1. Legislative previews for the community college system, early childhood education, and K-12
2. Educational choice a clear winner so far in McMahon’s tenure
3. Leaders of both parties are concerned the federal budget bill threatens public safety net
4. Public school market share holds steady
5. Strategic plan to make NC public schools ‘best in the nation’ approved
6. Resources for educators following Trump’s new policies on ICE, immigration
7. The State Board of Education discusses latest teacher turnover data
8. Charter enrollment grows — but shifts amid challenges, competition. A look at state and national trends
9. Hurricane Helene displaced thousands of students. Some struggled to get back on track with school
10. National search underway for the next president and CEO of the NC Community College System

Top policy articles

A lot happened in the world of policy and education this year. Analisa Sorrells Archer, our senior director of policy, compiled the list below of our top policy articles for the year.

1. From pilot program to statewide model: How the Medicaid Learning Collaborative is helping districts expand mental health support for students
2. The what and why of ‘meet and confer’ in North Carolina school districts
3. From the capitol to the cafeteria: How federal cuts will impact school meals in North Carolina
4. A look at the Trump administration’s changes to education policy for English learners, HSIs, and more
5. EdNC’s analysis of models to provide early childhood education on the campuses of community colleges
6. How can the NC Community College Child Care Grant program help more student parents?
7. What’s ahead for North Carolina’s community colleges this year
8. Ten education issues to watch at the start of the school year
9. Lessons from the military for solving North Carolina’s child care crisis
10. What we can learn from red states’ approaches to child care challenges

Top feature articles

From the mountains to the coast and all the way to Japan, there were many factors impacting public education and that shaped the stories we heard throughout our travels. Our top 15 features for the year, based on pageviews, are below.

1. A Wilkesboro church with empty space, a child care center in need, and a rallied community create a ‘miracle’ — and a model
2. North Carolina Supreme Court blocked certification of a justice’s win. Activists fear it’s ‘dangerous for democracy.’
3. Meet Destin Hall, the new Speaker of the House
4. NC’s presidential scholars, the No. 1 best public high school in the country, and a trip to Japan
5. How religious is North Carolina? Pew Center data gives insight
6. 14 NC school districts receive national awards for making school meals healthier
7. Declining enrollment in teacher education programs makes UNC pause music education track
8. EdExplainer | Exploring weighted student funding in North Carolina
9. Who is Linda McMahon? From ECU grad to ed secretary, a look beyond the headlines
10. For counties in western NC, the loss of this federal funding will matter 
11. Eight NC community colleges prepare to launch Boost
12. New data set compares literacy and poverty rates, shows which NC schools excel
13. Ten education issues to watch at the start of the school year
14. If you care about teacher morale in North Carolina, this data is worth a look
15. Superintendent Mo Green and the State Board of Education attend student performance about Helene

Top perspectives

Since our beginning, we have shared our platform with our audience. We welcome perspective submission from community members, and in 10 years, we have published over 3,600 perspectives by more than 1,600 people. Here is a list of the top ten perspectives from this year, based on pageviews.

1. Perspective | Statistics snapshot: The intersection of AI use in education and plagiarism, by Laura Tierney
2. Perspective | Beyond decoding: The need for explicit reading comprehension instruction, by Kolby Murawski
3. Perspective | How the world’s happiest country supports its teachers, by Syna Sharma
4. Perspective | Terminated! A federally funded, teacher resident program for high-needs districts comes to an abrupt end, by Matthew Militello
5. Perspective | What North Carolina told me: Reflections from the road, by Superintendent Mo Green
6. Perspective | Principals really matter, by Rob Jackson
7. Perspective | At the crossroads of education and workforce, by Jill Cox
8. Perspective | An update from Superintendent Green on the federal shutdown, by Superintendent Mo Green
9. Perspective | Developing future community college presidents in North Carolina, by Audrey J. Jaeger
10. Perspective | In North Carolina, a sea of oxygen bubbles — spreading across the state’s school districts, by Sam Chaltain