Gastonia Times

At Lincoln County Schools, 271 out of 772 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 the district's schools dropped to 35.1% compared to the previous school year, when 41.5% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.

North Lincoln High School students stood out from schools in Lincoln County Schools in reading, with almost 39.5% of the 11th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (88). Meanwhile, students from West Lincoln High School struggled the most on the reading portion, and only 26.3% 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, 47.2% of Lincoln County Schools 11th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In science, 27.2% of students were ready for college, and math scores revealed 25.8% of juniors also met the standard. Overall, Lincoln County Schools had an average college readiness of 14.8% 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)
North Lincoln High School	51.1%	39.5%
East Lincoln High School	45.4%	38.4%
Lincolnton High School	36.3%	33.1%
West Lincoln High School	29.1%	26.3%
Asbury Academy	<5%	<5%
Lincoln County Schools	41.5%	35.1%