Onslow News

At Onslow County Schools, 331 out of 1,752 junior 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 rose to 18.9% compared to the previous school year, when 18.7% 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 84.8% of the 11th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (39). Meanwhile, students from Northside High School struggled the most on the science portion, and only 10.5% 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, 39% of Onslow County Schools 11th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In reading, 36.2% of students were ready for college, and math scores revealed 20.1% 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	83%	84.8%
Swansboro High School	25.1%	24.7%
Dixon High School	18.9%	20%
Richlands High School	16.5%	19.9%
Jacksonville High School	14.9%	16%
White Oak High School	13%	16%
Onslow Virtual Secondary	15.4%	13.6%
Southwest High School	16.6%	12.9%
Northside High School	14.5%	10.5%
Onslow County Schools	18.7%	18.9%