Catherine Truitt North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction | https://x.com/ctruittnc?lang=en
Catherine Truitt North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction | https://x.com/ctruittnc?lang=en
English scores among the district's schools dropped to 18.6% compared to the previous school year, when 22.4% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.
Columbus Career and College Academy students stood out from schools in Columbus County Schools in English, with almost 27.3% of the 11th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (6). Meanwhile, students from West Columbus High School struggled the most on the English portion, and only 14.3% were considered ready for college.
For comparison, North Carolina saw 41% of its students meeting or exceeding the ACT benchmarks for English during the 2022-23 school year.
Besides English, 15.3% of Columbus County Schools 11th-graders met reading college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In science, 8.5% 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) |
|---|---|---|
| Columbus Career and College Academy | 43.9% | 27.3% |
| South Columbus High School | 19.4% | 22% |
| East Columbus Junior-Senior High School | 20% | 15.3% |
| West Columbus High School | 18.1% | 14.3% |
| Columbus County Schools | 22.4% | 18.6% |
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