Pinehurst Today

At Moore County Schools, 334 out of 924 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 dropped to 36.1% compared to the previous school year, when 37.9% of students were considered ready for post-secondary education.

Union Pines High School students stood out from schools in Moore County Schools in reading, with almost 42.8% of the 12th-graders hitting the ACT benchmark in the 2022-23 school year (133). Meanwhile, students from North Moore High School struggled the most on the reading portion, and only 13.3% 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, 42.5% of Moore County Schools 12th-graders met English college readiness benchmarks in the 2022-23 school year. In science, 29.4% of students were ready for college, and math scores revealed 25.9% of seniors also met the standard. Overall, Moore County Schools had an average college readiness of 17.3% 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)
Union Pines High School	39.9%	42.8%
Pinecrest High School	42.2%	38.3%
The Community Learning Center @ Pinckney	0%	18.2%
North Moore High School	15.9%	13.3%
Connect Academy	0%	<5%
Moore County Schools	37.9%	36.1%