Catherine Truitt North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction | North Carolina Department of Public Instruction website
Catherine Truitt North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction | North Carolina Department of Public Instruction website
Reading scores among the district's schools dropped to 31.8% compared to the previous school year, when 36.4% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.
Jackson County Early College students stood out from schools in Jackson County Public Schools in reading, with almost 65.2% of the 11th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (15). Meanwhile, students from Blue Ridge Early College struggled the most on the reading portion, and only 8% 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, 42.4% of Jackson County Public Schools 11th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In math, 27.2% of students were ready for college, and science scores revealed 18.9% of juniors also met the standard. Overall, Jackson County Public Schools had an average college readiness of 14.5% 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) |
|---|---|---|
| Jackson County Early College | 91.3% | 65.2% |
| Smoky Mountain High School | 36.2% | 33.3% |
| Jackson Community School | <5% | 10% |
| Blue Ridge Early College | <5% | 8% |
| Jackson County Public Schools | 36.4% | 31.8% |
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