Onslow News

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%