Gastonia Times

At Lincoln County Schools, 210 out of 772 junior students taking the science portion of the ACT met the college readiness benchmark in the 2022-23 school year, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

Science scores among the district's schools dropped to 27.2% compared to the previous school year, when 30.2% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.

North Lincoln High School students stood out from schools in Lincoln County Schools in science, 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 science portion, and only 15% were considered ready for college.

For comparison, North Carolina saw 26% of its students meeting or exceeding the ACT benchmarks for science during the 2022-23 school year.

Besides science, 47.2% of Lincoln County Schools 11th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In reading, 35.1% 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	38%	39.5%
East Lincoln High School	37.4%	28.8%
Lincolnton High School	19.8%	20.4%
West Lincoln High School	20.3%	15%
Asbury Academy	<5%	<5%
Lincoln County Schools	30.2%	27.2%