EC North Carolina News

At Lenoir County Public Schools, 84 out of 496 senior 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 the district's schools rose to 16.9% compared to the previous school year, when 15.2% 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 reading, with almost 46.9% of the 12th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (23). Meanwhile, students from Kinston High School struggled the most on the reading portion, and only 6.3% 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, 21.2% of Lenoir County Public Schools 12th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In science, 9.5% of students were ready for college, and math scores revealed 9.3% 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	43.9%	46.9%
North Lenoir High School	14.9%	18%
South Lenoir High School	17.9%	15.7%
Kinston High School	<5%	6.3%
Lenoir County Learning Academy	<5%	<5%
Lenoir County Public Schools	15.2%	16.9%