North Carolina 4th Grader Helps Bus Driver During Medical Emergency
A nine-year-old girl in North Carolina came to the rescue when her bus driver suffered a heart attack. According to Queen City News, Rowan County school bus driver Rita Sturdivant…
(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesA nine-year-old girl in North Carolina came to the rescue when her bus driver suffered a heart attack. According to Queen City News, Rowan County school bus driver Rita Sturdivant woke up feeling ill one morning in December, but didn’t let that stop her from doing the job she loves. “That morning when I got up, I did not feel like going to work,” she recalled, “But I went anyway.”
After finishing her first route and picking up a few students for her second run in Salisbury, the 72-year-old realized that she wasn’t going to be able to continue, so she pulled the bus over and turned on the hazard blinkers. She then called over the oldest and most responsible child on the bus, nine-year-old Rylie Miclette. Sturdivant had Rylie use her radio to call for help.
When no one answered over the radio, Sturdivant asked the fourth grader to use her cell phone to call the school and Sturdivant’s daughter. Overton Elementary School principal Marae Reid and Sturdivant’s daughter arrived a few minutes later. Reid stayed with the students while their bus driver was taken to the hospital, where they soon discovered she’d had a heart attack.
Rita Sturdivant is now on the road to recovery and plans to return to work. She says she’s forever bonded to the student who helped save her life. “She did all she could for me, and I am so grateful to Rylie to this day,” she says. And Rylie feels the same way, saying, “I love Ms. Sturdivant, and I’m happy that I helped her.”
50 North Carolina School Districts Ranked Best To Worst
Choosing the right school for your child can feel like the most important decision in the world. It's certainly a factor in where you purchase a home. In our area, even the county you choose to settle in can be heavily influenced by school districts. Or should you just shell out the big bucks for private school education? How can you set your child up for success? So many parents stress about these decisions for years and years. Good thing Niche.com is here to help with rankings of schools and universities across the country. They recently released their 2023 rankings of schools. This includes K-12 as well as higher education. You can play around with the filters and view the rankings based on a variety of factors. Your child will only stay at a school for a few years but will be in a district for up to 12. So which North Carolina school districts are the best? Let's find out.
If you're struggling with where to send your child to school hopefully this list will help you narrow it down. These are the top 50 North Carolina school districts ranked from best to worst:
1. Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools
Total Schools: 20
Students: 11,926
2. Polk County Schools
Total Schools: 7
Students: 2,154
3. Union County Public Schools
Total Schools: 52
Students: 40,207
4. Watauga County Schools
Total Schools: 11
Students: $4,563
5. Asheville City Schools
Total Schools: 10
Students: 4,300
6. Mooresville Graded School District
Total Schools: 9
Students: 5,993
7. Wake County Schools
Total Schools: 192
Students: 159,802
8. Newton Conover City Schools
Total Schools: 7
Students: 2,888
9. Mount Airy City Schools
Total Schools: 4
Students: 1,670
10. Dare County Schools
Total Schools: 11
Students: 5,250
11. Surry County Schools
Total Schools: 20
Students: 7,291
12. Lincoln County Schools
Total Schools: 23
Students: 11,252
13. Carteret County Public Schools
Total Schools: 18
Students: 7,843
14. Cabarrus County Schools
Total Schools: 42
Students: 32,810
15. New Hanover County Schools
Total Schools: 43
Students: 24,841
16. Henderson County Schools
Total Schools: 23
Students: 12,978
17. Elkin City Schools
Total Schools: 3
Students: 1,239
18. Chatham County Schools
Total Schools: 19
Students: 8,832
19. Winston Salem/Forsyth County Schools
Total Schools: 79
Students: 51,843
20. Buncombe County Schools
Total Schools: 44
Students: 22,298
21. Orange County Schools
Total Schools: 13
Students: 7,074
22. Yancey County Schools
Total Schools: 7
Students: 1,919
23. Burke County Schools
Total Schools: 26
Students: 11,733
24. Macon County Schools
Total Schools: 11
Students: 4,358
25. Iredell-Statesville Schools
Total Schools: 37
Students: 20,163
26. Moore County Schools
Total Schools: 23
Students: 12,457
27. Transylvania County Schools
Total Schools: 9
Students: 3,239
28. Davie County Schools
Total Schools: 12
Students: 5,869
29. Catawba County Schools
Total Schools: 28
Students: 15,575
30. Ashe County Schools
Total Schools: 6
Students: 2,865
31. Alleghany County Schools
Total Schools: 4
Students: 1,347
32. Cleveland County Schools
Total Schools: 30
Students: 14,220
33. Guilford County Schools
Total Schools: 126
Students: 70,047
34. Wilkes County Schools
Total Schools: 22
Students: 8,798
35. Rutherford County Schools
Total Schools: 18
Students: 7,557
36. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Total Schools: 176
Students: 142,733
37. Camden County Schools
Total Schools: 5
Students: 1,784
38. Pender County Schools
Total Schools: 18
Students: 9,560
39. Jackson County Public Schools
Total Schools: 9
Students: 3,542
40. Johnston County Schools
Total Schools: 46
Students: 36,422
41. Madison County Schools
Total Schools: 7
Students: 2,158
42. Caldwell County Schools
Total Schools: 25
Students: 10,829
43. Whiteville City Schools
Total Schools: 5
Students: 2,109
44. Richmond County Schools
Total Schools: 15
Students: 6,712
45. Gaston County Schools
Total Schools: 55
Students: 39,777
46. Davidson County Schools
Total Schools: 36
Students: 17,964
47. Randolph County Schools
Total Schools: 31
Students: 15,346
48. Swain County Schools
Total Schools: 5
Students: 1,931
49. Pitt County Schools
Total Schools: 38
Students: 23,312
50. Craven County Schools
Total Schools: 25
Students: 12,764
