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
Science scores among the district's schools rose to 19.2% compared to the previous school year, when 16.7% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.
McDowell Early College students stood out from schools in McDowell County Schools in science, with almost 47.2% of the 12th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (17). Meanwhile, students from McDowell High School struggled the most on the science portion, and only 14.1% 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, 39% of McDowell County Schools 12th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In reading, 31.5% 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 | 35.9% | 47.2% |
McDowell Academy for Innovation | 13% | 40% |
McDowell Virtual Academy | <5% | 14.3% |
McDowell High School | 11.5% | 14.1% |
McDowell County Schools | 16.7% | 19.2% |