At Henderson County Schools, 237 out of 930 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 rose to 25.5% compared to the previous school year, when 21.7% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.
Henderson County Early College students stood out from schools in Henderson County Schools in science, with almost 53.5% of the 12th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (23). Meanwhile, students from Henderson County Career Academy struggled the most on the science portion, and only 8.6% 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, 37.4% of Henderson County Schools 12th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In reading, 34.7% of students were ready for college, and math scores revealed 23.7% of seniors also met the standard. Overall, Henderson County Schools had an average college readiness of 15.4% 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) |
|---|---|---|
| Henderson County Early College | 36.4% | 53.5% |
| Hendersonville High School | 29.5% | 37.8% |
| West Henderson High School | 25.2% | 36.6% |
| East Henderson High School | 14% | 17.2% |
| North Henderson High School | 17.9% | 11.2% |
| Henderson County Career Academy | <5% | 8.6% |
| Henderson County Schools | 21.7% | 25.5% |
