Nantahala News

At the only school in Clay County Schools, 26 out of 87 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 students at Hayesville High School, the only school in Clay County Schools, dropped to 29.9% compared to the previous school year, when 36.6% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.

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, 32.2% of Clay County Schools 11th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In math, 18.4% of students were ready for college, and science scores revealed 17.2% of juniors also met the standard. Overall, Clay County Schools had an average college readiness of 8% 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)
Hayesville High School	36.6%	29.9%