At Onslow County Schools, 690 out of 1,688 senior students taking the English portion of the ACT met the college readiness benchmark in the 2022-23 school year, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
English scores among the district’s schools rose to 40.9% compared to the previous school year, when 40.8% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.
Onslow Virtual Secondary students stood out from schools in Onslow County Schools in English, with almost 51.3% of the 12th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (40). Meanwhile, students from Northside High School struggled the most on the English portion, and only 31.3% were considered ready for college.
For comparison, North Carolina saw 41% of its students meeting or exceeding the ACT benchmarks for English during the 2022-23 school year.
Besides English, 34.2% of Onslow County Schools 12th-graders met reading college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In math, 19.1% of students were ready for college, and science scores revealed 18.7% 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 Virtual Secondary | 33.6% | 51.3% |
| Dixon High School | 46.7% | 48.5% |
| Swansboro High School | 46.6% | 47.5% |
| Richlands High School | 36.5% | 41.3% |
| Jacksonville High School | 39.2% | 37.4% |
| Southwest High School | 32.5% | 34.4% |
| White Oak High School | 36.1% | 32.6% |
| Northside High School | 39.1% | 31.3% |
| Onslow Early College | >95% | >95% |
| Onslow County Schools | 40.8% | 40.9% |
