At Columbus County Schools, 30 out of 355 junior students taking the science portion of the ACT met the college readiness benchmark in the 2022-23 school year, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
Science scores among the district’s schools rose to 8.5% compared to the previous school year, when 8.1% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.
South Columbus High School students stood out from schools in Columbus County Schools in science, with almost 11.3% of the 11th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (17). Meanwhile, students from Columbus Career and College Academy struggled the most on the science portion, and 9.1% were considered ready for college.
For comparison, North Carolina saw 26% of its students meeting or exceeding the ACT benchmarks for science during the 2022-23 school year.
Besides science, 18.6% of Columbus County Schools 11th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In reading, 15.3% of students were ready for college, and math scores revealed 5.1% of juniors also met the standard. Overall, Columbus County Schools had an average college readiness of less than 5% across all ACT areas.
North Carolina’s education system is still grappling with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the 2022-23 ACT results, college readiness among North Carolina students falls short of pre-pandemic levels, with only 17.1% meeting benchmarks.
Additionally, the state’s performance is lagging behind the national average, which currently stands at 21%.
| School | Met or Exceeded Benchmarks (2021-22) | Met or Exceeded Benchmarks (2022-23) |
|---|---|---|
| South Columbus High School | 5% | 11.3% |
| East Columbus Junior-Senior High School | 8.6% | 9.4% |
| Columbus Career and College Academy | 14.6% | 9.1% |
| West Columbus High School | 9.7% | <5% |
| Columbus County Schools | 8.1% | 8.5% |
