Yadkin Valley News

At the only school in Mount Airy City Schools, 42 out of 148 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 students at Mount Airy High School, the only school in Mount Airy City Schools, rose to 28.4% compared to the previous school year, when 22.6% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.

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, 36.5% of Mount Airy City Schools 11th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In reading, 33.8% of students were ready for college, and math scores revealed 21.6% of juniors also met the standard. Overall, Mount Airy City Schools had an average college readiness of 14.9% 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)
Mount Airy High School	22.6%	28.4%