Catherine Truitt North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction | North Carolina Department of Public Instruction website
Catherine Truitt North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction | North Carolina Department of Public Instruction website
Reading scores among the district's schools dropped to 38.9% compared to the previous school year, when 39.3% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.
Nesbitt Discovery Academy students stood out from schools in Buncombe County Schools in reading, with almost 88.5% of the 12th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (77). Meanwhile, students from Erwin High School struggled the most on the reading portion, and only 20.6% 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, 45.3% of Buncombe County Schools 12th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In science, 25.8% of students were ready for college, and math scores revealed 25.3% of seniors also met the standard. Overall, Buncombe County Schools had an average college readiness of 17.9% 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) |
|---|---|---|
| Nesbitt Discovery Academy | 88.9% | 88.5% |
| Early College | 47.4% | 64% |
| Buncombe County Schools Virtual Academy | 0% | 47.6% |
| Middle College | 23.5% | 45.5% |
| Reynolds High School | 46.5% | 44.1% |
| Roberson High School | 44.8% | 41% |
| Owen High School | 31.4% | 39.6% |
| North Buncombe High School | 31.8% | 37.8% |
| Enka High School | 32.3% | 31% |
| Erwin High School | 26.9% | 20.6% |
| Community High School | 6.9% | <5% |
| Buncombe County Schools | 39.3% | 38.9% |
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