The Scotland High School Ninth Grade Academy made Adequate Yearly Progress for a third year, school administrators said this week.

NGA makes 13 of the system's 21 schools that have made AYP, an important measure for the No Child Left Behind Act.

The school is on special evaluation as the school has only freshmen and the tenth-grade writing test is an integral part of testing for high school. The state Department of Public Instruction told Scotland County Schools on Monday that the school had passed its targets.

The local system now has 61.9 percent of its schools meeting the key federal criterion, which is down from 75 percent in 2009.

In 2010, nine of 10 elementary schools, one of three middle schools and two of six high schools made AYP. In 2009, all 10 elementary schools, two of three middle schools, two of six high schools and East Laurinburg Alternative Academy met their targets.

The rate may be down from last year, but it is higher than all surrounding counties – Richmond, Hoke, Moore and Robeson – and the state's top five school districts – Wake, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Guilford, Cumberland and Forsyth.

The results are still preliminary as scores will be approved by the state Board of Education on Aug. 5.