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 dropped to 39.2% compared to the previous school year, when 41.4% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.
Pender Early College High students stood out from schools in Pender County Schools in reading, with almost 72.5% of the 11th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (37). Meanwhile, students from Heide Trask High School struggled the most on the reading portion, and only 16.1% 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, 44.8% of Pender County Schools 11th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In science, 28.1% of students were ready for college, and math scores revealed 26.4% of juniors also met the standard. Overall, Pender County Schools had an average college readiness of 17.5% 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) |
|---|---|---|
| Pender Early College High | 68.5% | 72.5% |
| Topsail High School | 54.6% | 50% |
| Pender Innovative Learning Academy | 25% | 42.1% |
| Pender High School | 21.5% | 21% |
| Heide Trask High School | 17.6% | 16.1% |
| Pender County Schools | 41.4% | 39.2% |
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