At Onslow County Schools, 316 out of 1,688 senior 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 dropped to 18.7% compared to the previous school year, when 19.9% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.
Onslow Early College students stood out from schools in Onslow County Schools in science, with almost 80.4% of the 12th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (37). Meanwhile, students from White Oak High School struggled the most on the science portion, and only 13.3% 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, 40.9% of Onslow County Schools 12th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In reading, 34.2% of students were ready for college, and math scores revealed 19.1% of seniors also met the standard. Overall, Onslow County Schools had an average college readiness of 10.7% 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) |
|---|---|---|
| Onslow Early College | 70.8% | 80.4% |
| Swansboro High School | 30.2% | 26.2% |
| Dixon High School | 28.1% | 19.3% |
| Richlands High School | 10.3% | 17% |
| Southwest High School | 9.5% | 16.6% |
| Onslow Virtual Secondary | 10.2% | 15.4% |
| Jacksonville High School | 18.1% | 14.7% |
| Northside High School | 22.9% | 13.6% |
| White Oak High School | 15.7% | 13.3% |
| Onslow County Schools | 19.9% | 18.7% |
