South North Carolina News

At Public Schools of Robeson County, 126 out of 1,160 junior students taking the reading portion of the ACT met the college readiness benchmark in the 2022-23 school year, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

Reading scores among the district's schools dropped to 10.9% compared to the previous school year, when 12.9% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.

PSRC Early College at RCC students stood out from schools in Public Schools of Robeson County in reading, with almost 54.8% of the 11th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (23). Meanwhile, students from Purnell Swett High School struggled the most on the reading portion, and only 6.5% were considered ready for college.

For comparison, North Carolina saw 36% of its students meeting or exceeding the ACT benchmarks for reading during the 2022-23 school year.

Besides reading, 12.6% of Public Schools of Robeson County 11th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In math, less than 5% of students were ready for college, and science scores revealed less than 5% of juniors also met the standard. Overall, Public Schools of Robeson County 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)
PSRC Early College at RCC	54.8%	54.8%
Saint Pauls High School	9.4%	13.3%
Lumberton Senior High School	15.9%	12.7%
Red Springs High School	12%	7.8%
Purnell Swett High School	9.4%	6.5%
Fairmont High School	6.7%	<5%
Public Schools of Robeson County	12.9%	10.9%