At Onslow County Schools, 634 out of 1,752 junior students taking the reading portion of the ACT met the college readiness benchmark in the 2022-23 school year, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
Reading scores among the district’s schools rose to 36.2% compared to the previous school year, when 34.5% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.
Onslow Early College students stood out from schools in Onslow County Schools in reading, with almost 93.5% of the 11th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (43). Meanwhile, students from Northside High School struggled the most on the reading portion, and only 25.7% were considered ready for college.
For comparison, North Carolina saw 36% of its students meeting or exceeding the ACT benchmarks for reading during the 2022-23 school year.
Besides reading, 39% of Onslow County Schools 11th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In math, 20.1% of students were ready for college, and science scores revealed 18.9% of juniors also met the standard. Overall, Onslow County Schools had an average college readiness of 12.1% 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 | 85.1% | 93.5% |
| Swansboro High School | 41.6% | 44.5% |
| Dixon High School | 40.3% | 39.6% |
| Jacksonville High School | 34.4% | 34.7% |
| Richlands High School | 30% | 34.4% |
| Onslow Virtual Secondary | 41% | 33.3% |
| Southwest High School | 30.5% | 32.3% |
| White Oak High School | 29.1% | 30.8% |
| Northside High School | 24% | 25.7% |
| Onslow County Schools | 34.5% | 36.2% |

