Outer Banks Times

At Currituck County Schools, 59 out of 280 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 21.1% compared to the previous school year, when 29.4% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.

The JP Knapp ECH (i) School students stood out from schools in Currituck County Schools in science, with almost 34.9% of the 11th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (22). Meanwhile, students from Currituck County High School struggled the most on the science portion, and only 17.1% 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, 48.6% of Currituck County Schools 11th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In reading, 36.1% of students were ready for college, and math scores revealed 24.3% of juniors also met the standard. Overall, Currituck County Schools had an average college readiness of 14.3% 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)
The JP Knapp ECH (i) School	43.4%	34.9%
Currituck County High School	25.9%	17.1%
Currituck County Schools	29.4%	21.1%