High Country Times

At Watauga County Schools, 129 out of 345 junior students taking the science portion of the ACT met the college readiness benchmark in the 2022-23 school year, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

Science scores among the district's schools rose to 37.4% compared to the previous school year, when 36.5% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.

Watauga Innovation Academy students stood out from schools in Watauga County Schools in science, with almost 40% of the 11th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (30). Meanwhile, students from Watauga High School struggled the most on the science portion, and 36.7% 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, 56.2% of Watauga County Schools 11th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In reading, 44.6% of students were ready for college, and math scores revealed 32.8% of juniors also met the standard. Overall, Watauga County Schools had an average college readiness of 22.6% 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 Innovation Academy	25.4%	40%
Watauga High School	39.3%	36.7%
Watauga County Schools	36.5%	37.4%