Raleigh, N.C. — A year after posting one of the worst school bus safety ratings in North Carolina, the Wake County school system has improved its safety score, officials said Monday.

The district received a 67.59 score this year, compared with 94.02 a year ago, according to data from the state Department of Public Instruction. A score is an average of all problems found on inspected buses – the state randomly checks 10 percent of each district's fleet each year – so lower numbers reflect fewer problems.

Last year, only four smaller school districts statewide posted ratings worse than Wake County.

Wake County's scores had been getting worse in recent years, but district administrators responded to last year's report by assigning more people to help maintain the fleet of more than 800 buses.

In the Triangle, Chatham County had a worse safety score this year at 70.2, up from 38.7 last year.

The scores for Durham Public Schools buses also declined, from 16.62 last year to 21.88.

Other area districts showed improvements. Cumberland County went from 23.42 to 22.96; Johnston County went from 44.83 to 34.12; and Orange County, which also maintains the buses for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, went from 48 to 29.21.