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
Science scores among the district's schools rose to 22.4% compared to the previous school year, when 17.4% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.
Wilkes Early College High School students stood out from schools in Wilkes County Schools in science, with almost 59.2% of the 11th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (29). Meanwhile, students from North Wilkes High School struggled the most on the science portion, and only 15.9% 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, 36.6% of Wilkes County Schools 11th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In reading, 30.5% of students were ready for college, and math scores revealed 21.5% of juniors also met the standard. Overall, Wilkes County Schools had an average college readiness of 11.4% 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) |
|---|---|---|
| Wilkes Early College High School | 47.1% | 59.2% |
| East Wilkes High School | 9.6% | 21.2% |
| West Wilkes High School | 18.5% | 20.5% |
| Wilkes Central High School | 17.3% | 18.7% |
| North Wilkes High School | 11.5% | 15.9% |
| Wilkes County Schools | 17.4% | 22.4% |
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