NC Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt 2023 | North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
NC Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt 2023 | North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
English scores in North Carolina counties dropped 0.7% compared to the previous school year, when 39.3% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.
Statewide, Orange County students stood out in English, with almost 61.3% of the 12th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (904). Meanwhile, students from Hertford County struggled the most on the English portion, and only 7.7% were considered ready for college.
Beyond English, 23.4% of North Carolina 12th-graders met math college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In reading, 34.1% of students were ready for college, and science scores revealed 24.1% of seniors also met the standard.
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%.
| County | Met or Exceeded Benchmarks (2021-22) | Met or Exceeded Benchmarks (2022-23) |
|---|---|---|
| Alamance County | 33.2% | 26.8% |
| Alexander County | 31.9% | 35.7% |
| Alleghany County | 25.6% | 36.2% |
| Anson County | 17.2% | 12.8% |
| Ashe County | 44.1% | 34% |
| Avery County | 25.2% | 34.5% |
| Beaufort County | 32.8% | 30.4% |
| Bertie County | 13.3% | 19.5% |
| Bladen County | 16.2% | 22.8% |
| Brunswick County | 32.6% | 32.8% |
| Buncombe County | 41.5% | 44.2% |
| Burke County | 40.8% | 40.9% |
| Cabarrus County | 40.7% | 40% |
| Caldwell County | 34.6% | 31.3% |
| Camden County | 51.9% | 33.7% |
| Carteret County | 51.4% | 56.9% |
| Caswell County | 23.9% | 28.8% |
| Catawba County | 39.6% | 38.8% |
| Chatham County | 47.8% | 53.3% |
| Cherokee County | 40.2% | 45.5% |
| Chowan County | 16.3% | 20% |
| Clay County | 36.6% | 36.1% |
| Cleveland County | 31.9% | 36% |
| Columbus County | 20.2% | 21.3% |
| Craven County | 34% | 36.8% |
| Cumberland County | 30.7% | 32.4% |
| Currituck County | 43.7% | 49.8% |
| Dare County | 51.9% | 46.2% |
| Davidson County | 33.7% | 34.2% |
| Davie County | 36% | 45.1% |
| Duplin County | 17.3% | 21.5% |
| Durham County | 41.7% | 39.3% |
| Edgecombe County | 19.9% | 16.5% |
| Forsyth County | 36.9% | 36.6% |
| Franklin County | 30.2% | 30.8% |
| Gaston County | 38.9% | 30.4% |
| Gates County | 20.7% | 30.1% |
| Graham County | 41.5% | 27.3% |
| Granville County | 29.8% | 29.9% |
| Greene County | 17% | 17.7% |
| Guilford County | 36.5% | 33.7% |
| Halifax County | 18.2% | 15.3% |
| Harnett County | 28.1% | 33.1% |
| Haywood County | 50.6% | 50.5% |
| Henderson County | 35.7% | 37% |
| Hertford County | 22.8% | 7.7% |
| Hoke County | 33.1% | 28.8% |
| Hyde County | 45.5% | 21.2% |
| Iredell County | 42.9% | 42.9% |
| Jackson County | 42.1% | 35.2% |
| Johnston County | 34.6% | 32.4% |
| Jones County | 17.9% | 23.9% |
| Lee County | 30.3% | 32.4% |
| Lenoir County | 17.1% | 20.3% |
| Lincoln County | 41.3% | 47.1% |
| Macon County | 34.1% | 36.9% |
| Madison County | 35.2% | 32.9% |
| Martin County | 19.2% | 21.4% |
| McDowell County | 29.9% | 38.4% |
| Mecklenburg County | 47.2% | 44.5% |
| Mitchell County | 26.8% | 25.5% |
| Montgomery County | 29.6% | 19.6% |
| Moore County | 45.8% | 42.1% |
| Nash County | 19.2% | 20.8% |
| New Hanover County | 51.8% | 52.7% |
| Northampton County | 11.7% | 9.9% |
| Onslow County | 37.2% | 37.9% |
| Orange County | 64.1% | 61.3% |
| Pamlico County | 20.2% | 25.4% |
| Pasquotank County | 32.9% | 27.3% |
| Pender County | 41.4% | 47.9% |
| Perquimans County | 16.8% | 28.3% |
| Person County | 33.9% | 38.1% |
| Pitt County | 32.7% | 31.2% |
| Polk County | 43.5% | 40% |
| Randolph County | 28.1% | 26.1% |
| Richmond County | 23.7% | 20.9% |
| Robeson County | 13.9% | 13% |
| Rockingham County | 26% | 27.9% |
| Rowan County | 27.8% | 24.3% |
| Rutherford County | 41.9% | 40.1% |
| Sampson County | 25.2% | 25.4% |
| Scotland County | 22.5% | 21.9% |
| Stanly County | 42% | 40.8% |
| Stokes County | 33.8% | 31.8% |
| Surry County | 40.8% | 45.3% |
| Swain County | 22.7% | 39% |
| Transylvania County | 35.6% | 48.1% |
| Tyrrell County | 17.1% | 12.2% |
| Union County | 54.2% | 53.1% |
| Vance County | 25.5% | 28.4% |
| Wake County | 55.9% | 51.6% |
| Warren County | 19.3% | 14.7% |
| Washington County | 4.7% | 13% |
| Watauga County | 57.7% | 54.3% |
| Wayne County | 22.4% | 24.5% |
| Wilkes County | 33.1% | 30.3% |
| Wilson County | 26.8% | 28% |
| Yadkin County | 33.2% | 37.8% |
| Yancey County | 29.5% | 47.1% |
| North Carolina | 39.3% | 38.6% |
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