NC North Carolina News

At Stokes County Schools, 59 out of 402 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 14.7% compared to the previous school year, when 15% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.

Stokes Early College High School students stood out from schools in Stokes County Schools in science, with almost 46.4% of the 11th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (13). Meanwhile, students from North Stokes High School struggled the most on the science portion, and only 11.9% 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, 35.6% of Stokes County Schools 11th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In reading, 28.4% of students were ready for college, and math scores revealed 17.4% of juniors also met the standard. Overall, Stokes County Schools had an average college readiness of 9% 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)
Stokes Early College High School	39.4%	46.4%
South Stokes High School	9.4%	13.1%
West Stokes High School	17.1%	12.2%
North Stokes High School	10.4%	11.9%
Meadowbrook Academy	<5%	<5%
Stokes County Schools	15%	14.7%