In the 2022-23 school year, 327 out of 785 Surry County junior students taking the English portion of the ACT met the college readiness benchmark, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
In the 2022-23 school year, English scores among the county districts dropped to 41.7%, a decline of 3.1% from the previous school year when 44.8% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.
Countywide, Elkin City Schools students stood out in English, with almost 49.5% of the 11th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (50). Meanwhile, students from Surry County Schools struggled the most on the English portion, and only 41.6% were considered ready for college.
For comparison, North Carolina saw 39% of its students meeting or exceeding the ACT benchmarks for English during this year.
Beyond English, 34.6% of Surry County 11th-graders met Reading college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. On Math, 24.6% of students were ready for college, and Science scores revealed 23.4% of juniors also met the standard. Overall, Surry County had an average college readiness of 14.1% 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%.
| District | Met or Exceeded Benchmarks (2021-22) | Met or Exceeded Benchmarks (2022-23) |
|---|---|---|
| Elkin City Schools | 61.2% | 49.5% |
| Mount Airy City Schools | 34.8% | 36.5% |
| Surry County Schools | 44% | 41.6% |
| Surry County | 44.8% | 41.7% |
