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
Reading scores among the district's schools rose to 31.5% compared to the previous school year, when 24.9% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.
McDowell Early College students stood out from schools in McDowell County Schools in reading, with almost 75% of the 12th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (27). Meanwhile, students from McDowell Virtual Academy struggled the most on the reading portion, and only 14.3% 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, 39% of McDowell County Schools 12th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In science, 19.2% of students were ready for college, and math scores revealed 16.4% of seniors also met the standard. Overall, McDowell County Schools had an average college readiness of 9.5% 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) |
|---|---|---|
| McDowell Early College | 48.4% | 75% |
| McDowell Academy for Innovation | 13% | 44% |
| McDowell High School | 19.4% | 25.7% |
| McDowell Virtual Academy | <5% | 14.3% |
| McDowell County Schools | 24.9% | 31.5% |
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