This report presents trends in national and statewide test performance for North Carolina's public school racial/ethnic subgroups. It is intended to help policymakers gauge the progress and status of minority student achievement in the state's public schools; facilitate the comparison of the academic achievement of racial/ethnic students in North Carolina with that of peers nationwide; and apprise the public of the status of academic achievement among the various racial/ethnic subgroups in North Carolina. Section 1 reviews variables contributing to the minority achievement gap that have been reported in the literature. Section 2 highlights minority student performance on various national standards, offering data for comparing minority student achievement in North Carolina with that of peers across the nation. Section 3 summarizes the performances of North Carolina's racial/ethnic groups on state-mandated tests. Section 4 presents various strategies for closing the minority achievement gap. Data in the report reveal some glaring disparities between the academic achievement of white and Asian children and other minority children in North Carolina, suggesting that North Carolina's public education system may not be serving all children equally. (Contains 14 figures, 39 tables, 53 references.) (SM)