Gastonia Times

At Lincoln County Schools, 241 out of 808 senior 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 rose to 29.8% compared to the previous school year, when 24.2% 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 37.6% of the 12th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (89). Meanwhile, students from West Lincoln High School struggled the most on the science portion, and only 19.6% 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, 46.2% of Lincoln County Schools 12th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In reading, 41.5% of students were ready for college, and math scores revealed 30.1% of seniors also met the standard. Overall, Lincoln County Schools had an average college readiness of 19.8% 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	29.3%	37.6%
East Lincoln High School	25%	37.2%
Lincolnton High School	17.8%	19.8%
West Lincoln High School	21%	19.6%
Asbury Academy	<5%	<5%
Lincoln County Schools	24.2%	29.8%