EC North Carolina News

At Lenoir County Public Schools, 46 out of 496 senior students taking the math portion of the ACT met the college readiness benchmark in the 2022-23 school year, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

Math scores among the district's schools rose to 9.3% compared to the previous school year, when 6.8% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.

Lenoir County Early College High students stood out from schools in Lenoir County Public Schools in math, with almost 28.6% of the 12th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (14). Meanwhile, students from South Lenoir High School struggled the most on the math portion, and only 9.3% were considered ready for college.

For comparison, North Carolina saw 25% of its students meeting or exceeding the ACT benchmarks for math during the 2022-23 school year.

Besides math, 21.2% of Lenoir County Public Schools 12th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In reading, 16.9% of students were ready for college, and science scores revealed 9.5% of seniors also met the standard. Overall, Lenoir County Public Schools had an average college readiness of 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)
Lenoir County Early College High	17.1%	28.6%
North Lenoir High School	<5%	11%
South Lenoir High School	11.3%	9.3%
Kinston High School	<5%	<5%
Lenoir County Learning Academy	<5%	<5%
Lenoir County Public Schools	6.8%	9.3%