Burlington Reporter

At Alamance-Burlington Schools, 241 out of 1,441 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 remained the same as the previous school year.

ABSS Early College at ACC students stood out from schools in Alamance-Burlington Schools in science, with almost 58.8% of the 12th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (30). Meanwhile, students from Alamance Virtual School struggled the most on the science portion, and only 9.1% 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, 25.9% of Alamance-Burlington Schools 12th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In reading, 23.3% of students were ready for college, and math scores revealed 15.8% of seniors also met the standard. Overall, Alamance-Burlington Schools had an average college readiness of 10% 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)
ABSS Early College at ACC	48.1%	58.8%
Eastern Alamance High School	18.3%	21.3%
Walter M. Williams High School	20.3%	19.6%
Western Alamance High School	21.6%	19.6%
Southern Alamance High School	13%	17.3%
Alamance Virtual School	<5%	9.1%
Graham High School	10.9%	<5%
Hugh M. Cummings High School	<5%	<5%
Ray Street Academy	<5%	<5%
Alamance-Burlington Schools	16.7%	16.7%