Pinehurst Today

At Moore County Schools, 343 out of 936 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 rose to 36.6% compared to the previous school year, when 35.7% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.

Pinecrest High School students stood out from schools in Moore County Schools in reading, with almost 39.8% of the 11th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (191). Meanwhile, students from North Moore High School struggled the most on the reading portion, and only 17.6% 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, 45.1% of Moore County Schools 11th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In science, 27.6% of students were ready for college, and math scores revealed 23.6% of juniors also met the standard. Overall, Moore County Schools had an average college readiness of 15.3% 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)
Pinecrest High School	37.6%	39.8%
Union Pines High School	43.2%	39.7%
Connect Academy	0%	36.4%
North Moore High School	13.3%	17.6%
The Community Learning Center @ Pinckney	7.7%	<5%
Moore County Schools	35.7%	36.6%