Superintendent Andrew Houlihan has led Union County Public Schools for 10 years, a rare stretch of stability in a state with the nation's highest superintendent turnover.

The ILO Group's Superintendent Research Project, which tracks the 500 largest districts in the country, found that North Carolina's 21 studied districts recorded 42 superintendent transitions over six years, as first reported by WCNC Charlotte. That averages two leadership changes per district.

"If we include the new transition in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, we get to 42 transitions. That's an average of two transitions per district over just six years," lead researcher Emily Hartnett said.

Hartnett said North Carolina's turnover rate is significantly higher than what researchers found in other states. The study did not examine why individual superintendents leave or identify a specific cause for the churn. Nationwide, superintendent turnover has returned to roughly pre-pandemic levels, the September 2026 report found.

For families in the Waxhaw, Weddington and Marvin areas, the local picture looks different.

A decade of stability

Houlihan marked his 10th anniversary leading UCPS on Aug. 24, the first day of the 2026-27 school year. He noted the milestone on X, thanking the Board of Education, staff, his family and communities for their support.

That longevity stands out.

Neighboring Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) has had five people hold the superintendent position in the past 10 years, according to WCNC Charlotte. Interim superintendent Melissa Balknight is scheduled to retire in January.

UCPS is the sixth-largest district in North Carolina, serving more than 40,000 students across 53 schools. Under Houlihan, the district has posted strong academic results.

For the second consecutive year, UCPS ranked first in the state for overall student proficiency. A total of 73.8% of students scored proficient on End-of-Grade (EOG) and End-of-Course (EOC) exams, according to results presented at the Sept. 2 Board of Education meeting. The state average is 59.2%.

The district's 2026 cohort graduation rate hit 93.4%, the highest in UCPS history under the current state accountability model. It is also the top mark among North Carolina's 12 largest districts.

Houlihan told the board at that Sept. 2 meeting that the district had made a 10.8 percentage-point increase in proficiency over five years and surpassed pre-pandemic test scores.

New five-year plan builds on gains

UCPS launched its Strategic Plan 2026-2031 in September after the board unanimously approved it in spring 2026. The plan focuses on four priorities: safe and supportive culture, academic success, recruitment and retention, and parent and community partnerships.

The Rev. Jimmy H. Bention Sr., board chairman, said at the plan's Monday, Sept. 21 launch that the plan represents a commitment to action, accountability and results.

Staffing numbers also reflect stability. Houlihan reported 225 new teachers hired for the 2026-27 school year, with fewer than 30 teacher vacancies and fewer than 20 bus driver openings, according to the Enquirer Journal. He described those as the lowest vacancy levels since 2019.

The number of low-performing schools in the district has dropped from 13 in the 2021-22 school year to three, according to the latest UCPS accountability results.

The ILO Group's study did not name which of North Carolina's 21 largest districts were included beyond CMS, so whether UCPS was part of the sample is unclear. The board's quarterly progress reports on the new strategic plan will be posted on the UCPS website.