South North Carolina News

At Public Schools of Robeson County, 149 out of 1,208 senior 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 rose to 12.3% compared to the previous school year, when 11.6% 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 56.1% of the 12th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (23). Meanwhile, students from Fairmont 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, 13.1% of Public Schools of Robeson County 12th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In science, 6.6% of students were ready for college, and math scores revealed less than 5% of seniors 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	45.2%	56.1%
Lumberton Senior High School	12.4%	14.4%
Red Springs High School	5.5%	12%
Saint Pauls High School	10%	9.4%
Purnell Swett High School	10.6%	8.8%
Fairmont High School	11%	6.5%
Public Schools of Robeson County	11.6%	12.3%