Onslow News

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%