Asheville Reporter

In the 2022-23 school year, 835 out of 1,931 Buncombe County junior students taking the Reading portion of the ACT met the college readiness benchmark, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

In the 2022-23 school year, Reading scores among the county districts rose to 43.2%, an increase of 1.5% from the previous school year when 41.7% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.

Countywide, Asheville City Schools students stood out in Reading, with almost 58.7% of the 11th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (186). Meanwhile, students from Buncombe County Schools struggled the most on the Reading portion, and only 40.2% were considered ready for college.

For comparison, North Carolina saw 33.4% of its students meeting or exceeding the ACT benchmarks for Reading during this year.

Beyond Reading, 51% of Buncombe County 11th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. On Math, 32.7% of students were ready for college, and Science scores revealed 30.1% of juniors also met the standard. Overall, Buncombe County had an average college readiness of 22.5% 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%.

District	Met or Exceeded Benchmarks (2021-22)	Met or Exceeded Benchmarks (2022-23)
Asheville City Schools	52.1%	58.7%
Buncombe County Schools	39.4%	40.2%
Buncombe County	41.7%	43.2%