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
Science scores among the district's schools rose to 27% compared to the previous school year, when 26.4% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.
Nesbitt Discovery Academy students stood out from schools in Buncombe County Schools in science, with almost 85.6% of the 11th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (77). Meanwhile, students from Erwin High School struggled the most on the science portion, and only 7.1% were considered ready for college.
For comparison, North Carolina saw 26% of its students meeting or exceeding the ACT benchmarks for science during the 2022-23 school year.
Besides science, 47.9% of Buncombe County Schools 11th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In reading, 40.2% of students were ready for college, and math scores revealed 30.6% of juniors also met the standard. Overall, Buncombe County Schools had an average college readiness of 20% 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 | 84.1% | 85.6% |
| Early College | 54.9% | 35.5% |
| Roberson High School | 30.1% | 33.8% |
| Middle College | 27.3% | 31.6% |
| North Buncombe High School | 20.6% | 28.9% |
| Owen High School | 27.3% | 27.6% |
| Reynolds High School | 30.2% | 22.9% |
| Enka High School | 19.3% | 18.6% |
| Buncombe County Schools Virtual Academy | 21.4% | 10.9% |
| Erwin High School | 7.4% | 7.1% |
| Community High School | <5% | <5% |
| Buncombe County Schools | 26.4% | 27% |
Alerts Sign-up