Rocky Mount Today

At Edgecombe County Public Schools, 22 out of 283 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 rose to 7.9% compared to the previous school year, when 6.8% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.

Edgecombe Early College High students stood out from schools in Edgecombe County Public Schools in science, with almost 34.3% of the 11th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (12). Meanwhile, students from SouthWest Edgecombe High School struggled the most on the science portion, and only 5.5% 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, 16.7% of Edgecombe County Public Schools 11th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In reading, 12.1% of students were ready for college, and math scores revealed 8.8% of juniors also met the standard. Overall, Edgecombe County Public Schools had an average college readiness of less than 5% 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)
Edgecombe Early College High	32.6%	34.3%
SouthWest Edgecombe High School	<5%	5.5%
North Edgecombe High School	<5%	<5%
Tarboro High School	<5%	<5%
Edgecombe County Public Schools	6.8%	7.9%