South Asheville News

At Transylvania County Schools, 86 out of 212 senior students taking the reading portion of the ACT met the college readiness benchmark in the 2022-23 school year, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

Reading scores among the district's schools rose to 40.6% compared to the previous school year, when 33.6% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.

Brevard High School students stood out from schools in Transylvania County Schools in reading, with almost 45.3% of the 12th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (67). Meanwhile, students from Rosman High School struggled the most on the reading portion, and only 36.5% 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, 49.5% of Transylvania County Schools 12th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In science, 28.3% of students were ready for college, and math scores revealed 25.5% of seniors also met the standard. Overall, Transylvania County Schools had an average college readiness of 18.4% 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)
Brevard High School	37.7%	45.3%
Rosman High School	29.4%	36.5%
Davidson River School	15%	<5%
Transylvania County Schools	33.6%	40.6%