Rocky Mount Today

At Nash County Public Schools, 128 out of 1,034 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 12.4% compared to the previous school year, when 8% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.

NRM Early College High School students stood out from schools in Nash County Public Schools in science, with almost 37.6% of the 12th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (35). Meanwhile, students from Nash Central High School struggled the most on the science portion, and only 6.1% 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, 21.9% of Nash County Public Schools 12th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In reading, 20.5% of students were ready for college, and math scores revealed 8.5% of seniors also met the standard. Overall, Nash County Public Schools had an average college readiness of 6% 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)
NRM Early College High School	37.1%	37.6%
Southern Nash High School	<5%	12.7%
Northern Nash High School	9.2%	11.4%
Rocky Mount High School	7.3%	9.9%
Nash Central High School	<5%	6.1%
Tar River Academy	<5%	<5%
Nash County Public Schools	8%	12.4%