IBX News

At Bertie County Schools, 15 out of 133 junior 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 dropped to 11.4% compared to the previous school year, when 15.7% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.

Bertie Early College High students stood out from schools in Bertie County Schools in reading, with almost 30% of the 11th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (9). Meanwhile, students from Bertie High School struggled the most on the reading portion, and only 5.9% 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, 15% of Bertie County Schools 11th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In math, less than 5% of students were ready for college, and science scores revealed less than 5% of juniors also met the standard. Overall, Bertie County Schools had an average college readiness of less than 5% 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)
Bertie Early College High	33.3%	30%
Bertie High School	<5%	5.9%
Bertie County Schools	15.7%	11.4%