Catherine Truitt North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction | https://x.com/ctruittnc?lang=en
Catherine Truitt North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction | https://x.com/ctruittnc?lang=en
Reading scores among the district's schools dropped to 22.5% compared to the previous school year, when 28.6% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.
Hickory Career Arts Magnet High School students stood out from schools in Hickory City Schools in reading, with almost 22.7% of the 11th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (10). Meanwhile, students from Hickory High School struggled the most on the reading portion, and 22.5% were considered ready for college.
For comparison, North Carolina saw 36% of its students meeting or exceeding the ACT benchmarks for reading during the 2022-23 school year.
Besides reading, 31.5% of Hickory City Schools 11th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In science, 14.2% of students were ready for college, and math scores revealed 10.6% of juniors also met the standard. Overall, Hickory City Schools had an average college readiness of 7.1% 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) |
|---|---|---|
| Hickory Career Arts Magnet High School | 35.1% | 22.7% |
| Hickory High School | 26.8% | 22.5% |
| Hickory City Schools | 28.6% | 22.5% |
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