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
Math scores among the district's schools dropped to 29% compared to the previous school year, when 34.2% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.
Watauga High School students stood out from schools in Watauga County Schools in math, with almost 32.3% of the 12th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (87). Meanwhile, students from Watauga Innovation Academy struggled the most on the math portion, and only 15.2% were considered ready for college.
For comparison, North Carolina saw 25% of its students meeting or exceeding the ACT benchmarks for math during the 2022-23 school year.
Besides math, 54.3% of Watauga County Schools 12th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In reading, 46.6% of students were ready for college, and science scores revealed 36.1% of seniors also met the standard. Overall, Watauga County Schools had an average college readiness of 21.8% 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) |
|---|---|---|
| Watauga High School | 35.7% | 32.3% |
| Watauga Innovation Academy | 28.1% | 15.2% |
| Watauga County Schools | 34.2% | 29% |
Alerts Sign-up