Nantahala News

At Cherokee County Schools, 103 out of 225 senior students taking the English portion of the ACT met the college readiness benchmark in the 2022-23 school year, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

English scores among the district's schools rose to 45.8% compared to the previous school year, when 39.8% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.

Tri-County Early College High students stood out from schools in Cherokee County Schools in English, with almost 64.3% of the 12th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (18). Meanwhile, students from Hiwassee Dam High School struggled the most on the English portion, and only 35.3% were considered ready for college.

For comparison, North Carolina saw 41% of its students meeting or exceeding the ACT benchmarks for English during the 2022-23 school year.

Besides English, 36.9% of Cherokee County Schools 12th-graders met reading college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In science, 18.2% of students were ready for college, and math scores revealed 11.6% of seniors also met the standard. Overall, Cherokee 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)
Tri-County Early College High	60.5%	64.3%
Murphy High School	38.7%	45.5%
Andrews High School	33.3%	43.8%
Hiwassee Dam High School	35.3%	35.3%
The Oaks Academy	<5%	<5%
Cherokee County Schools	39.8%	45.8%