High Country Times

At the only school in Alleghany County Schools, 39 out of 94 junior students taking the English portion of the ACT met the college readiness benchmark in the 2022-23 school year, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

English scores among students at Alleghany High School, the only school in Alleghany County Schools, rose to 41.5% compared to the previous school year, when 38.3% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.

For comparison, North Carolina saw 41% of its students meeting or exceeding the ACT benchmarks for English during the 2022-23 school year.

Besides English, 34% of Alleghany County Schools 11th-graders met reading college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In math, 28.7% of students were ready for college, and science scores revealed 25.5% of juniors also met the standard. Overall, Alleghany County Schools had an average college readiness of 16% 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)
Alleghany High School	38.3%	41.5%