North Carolina
North Carolina schools see drop in crime, but drug possession ticks up
North Carolina schools saw a decrease in crimes for the third year in a row last school year, according to the latest numbers released Wednesday from the state Department of Public Instruction.
The number of crimes reported at North Carolina schools fell by around 6.1% to 11,470. The rate fell by about 8% to 7.43 incidents per 1,000 students.
Incidents falling under one of nine “violent” categories increased from 250 to 302. But these remain rare, occurring at a rate of 0.2 incidents per 1,000 students. They account for just 2.6% of all incidents.
DPI Chief Accountability Officer Michael Maher said the data shows crime is not widespread across the system, but is concentrated among a smaller number of schools and students.
Around 78% of schools reported 0-5 incidents this year. And data shows 9,966 students out of the state’s roughly 1.5 million accounted for all of the incidents — that means more than 99% of students were not involved in any violent or reportable offense.
“It’s not a picture of system-wide disorder, it’s a picture of concentration,” Maher told the state Board of Education Wednesday. “It’s concentrated in specific grades, it’s concentrated in key transition years and in students who are already facing multiple overlapping challenges.”
Incidents involving possession of a weapon fell by around 20%, and incidents involving possession of a firearm fell by 34%.
But possession of drugs remains a thorny issue, ticking up slightly and accounting for around 60% of all incidents.
“So while every incident matters, the data show that severe violence is rare, and the most common challenges schools are managing are behavioral and substance-related — not widespread physical harm,” Maher said. “So any policy, procedure or programmatic recommendation we make should be proportional to that evidence.”
The student subgroups with the highest incident rates were students with disabilities, Black students, economically disadvantaged students and male students. But Maher said this paints a complicated picture.
“I want to be clear: These are descriptive patterns, they are not causal explanations. The same pattern shows up across multiple education outcomes, including attendance, course and test performance and dropout — not just discipline,” Maher said. “That tells us that discipline is not a standalone issue. Effective solutions need to connect attendance, behavior, academic support and student services.”
Still, while these groups show persistent disparities, they’ve also seen significant improvements, with significant declines this year.
Maher made several recommendations based on the data – including establishing a targeted middle-to-high school transition initiative,
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools saw a decline in the number of crimes — from 1,414 to 1,267 — and its crime rate — from 10.1 to 8.8 per 1,000 students.
The North Carolina Tar Heels will be a young program across the board next season, with well over two dozen freshmen and numerous additions from the transfer portal this offseason. Expectations for the 2026 season are lowered dramatically after a disastrous first season for head coach Bill Belichick, though those expectations could help the Tar Heels fly under the radar.
As the Tar Heels approach the end of spring ball, it is time to look at the veterans of the team—the ones who have the experience to lead, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Let’s look at three underrated seniors for the 2026 football season.
Ade Willie, Cornerback
Willie joins the Tar Heels program after four years with Michigan State, as the former 4-star player in the 2022 recruiting class gets an opportunity to not only provide depth to the secondary, but potentially start Week 0 against TCU.
Willie played in over 30 games with the Spartans and brings experience in the secondary at cornerback and safety, along with quality length and closing speed to the football. For a defense that needs players to step up, the redshirt senior from IMG Academy will be asked to do so.
Isaiah Johnson, Defensive Lineman
The defensive line is beginning to look like one of the Tar Heels’ strengths for the 2026 season. Johnson, a former transfer from Arizona, enters his redshirt senior year looking to add another year of production after 40 tackles and two sacks this past season.
North Carolina has an impressive group of starters with Malkart Abou-Jaoude, Leroy Jackson, and incoming transfer Jaylen Harvey. Johnson adds value to the group as a run defender with the ability to penetrate the pocket. While not discussed as a key player, Johnson’s name will be used plenty during the regular season as a potential standout for the program’s defensive front.
Coleman Bryson, Safety
Bryson was a reserve player for the Tar Heels’ secondary last season as a big nickel defender in the rotation. Heading into his redshirt senior year, the former Minnesota Gopher is looking to become a full-time starter in the secondary.
It wasn’t long ago when Bryson was making plays as the 2022 Pinstripe Bowl Defensive MVP. His special teams abilities were valuable for North Carolina last season, and he flashed at times in coverage against tight ends, including a pass breakup in the season-opener against TCU. The Waynesville, North Carolina, native could be a key defender on the back-seven in 2026.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
Friends and family members gathered in Washington state on Saturday, remembering former Miss North Carolina Carrie Everett, who died on Easter Sunday. Another memorial service is planned in North Carolina next month.
Web Editor : Sydney Ross
Posted
Virginia 3, North Carolina 0 | First Quarter
Virginia 3, North Carolina 0 | Q1 8:19
After a faceoff win by Henry Metz, Brendan Millon finds Truitt Sunderland to give the Hoos a 3-0 lead. Timeout North Carolina.
Virginia 2, North Carolina 0 | Q1 9:00
Brendan Millon gets the scoring started for the Cavaliers with a question mark style goal. On the defensive end, Jake Marek opens the game with three early saves with his third save setting up a transition goal by Tommy Snyder.
Virginia vs North Carolina pregame notes
UVA owns a 59-33 advantage since the series began in 1938.
The 59 wins are UVA’s most against any opponent in program history (followed by 51 against Duke).
In Chapel Hill last year, the Tar Heels defeated the Cavaliers 18-9, snapping UVA’s six-game series win streak.
UVA has won nine of the last 11 meetings, dating back to 2018.
The Hoos have won the last two meetings with Carolina at Klöckner Stadium, 11-4 in 2022 and 14-6 in 2024.
The Tar Heels’ four goals in 2022 marked the fewest goals in a game under Joe Breschi, who was named UNC’s head coach in 2006.
The last time the Tar Heels knocked off the Cavaliers at Klöckner was a 16-13 decision during the first of three games between the two teams in 2021.
Later that year, UVA claimed back-to-back meetings against the Heels, including in the NCAA semifinals on the way to capturing the 2021 national title over Maryland.
Follow
-
Detroit, MI1 hour agoGame 21: Tigers at Red Sox, Garrett Crochet battles both Detroit and the weather
-
San Francisco, CA1 hour agoWhy do gray whales keep dying in San Francisco’s waters?
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoDallas Mavericks Owners Might Be Making Big Mistake in Search for New GM
-
Miami, FL2 hours agoDefense dominates, Mensah flashes in Miami’s spring game – The Miami Hurricane
-
Boston, MA2 hours ago
A crowd scientist is helping the Boston Marathon manage a growing field of 30,000-plus runners
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoDenver Nuggets Altitude broadcasts now being offered in Spanish for first time ever
-
Seattle, WA2 hours agoNeed to shred? Free drive-up/ride-up shredding Wednesday at Village Green West Seattle
-
San Diego, CA2 hours agoGame 21: San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Angels