ACT College Entrance Exam
The data provided here shows ACT data by graduating class cohort years (i.e. Class of 2016, Class of 2017, Class of 2018, etc.) and includes all assessments that students took as sophomores, juniors, and seniors. ACT encourages educators to focus on trends (3, 5, 10 years), not year-to-year changes. Such changes can represent normal – even expected – fluctuations. On the other hand, trend lines offer more insight into what is happening in a school, district, or the state.
Furthermore, ACT encourages educators to measure student performance in the context of college readiness measures. The focus should be on the number and percentage of students who met or exceeded ACT’s College Readiness Benchmark Scores, a measure that is much more meaningful and understandable than an average composite score for a group of students.
Only the ACT reports College Readiness Benchmark Scores – A benchmark score is the minimum score needed on an ACT subject-area test to indicate a 50% chance of obtaining a B or higher or about a 75% chance of obtaining a C or higher in the corresponding credit-bearing college courses, which include English Composition, Algebra, Social Science, Biology, STEM and ELA. These scores were empirically derived based on the actual performance of students in college.
College Course/Course Area ACT Score Benchmark Score
English Composition English 18
Algebra Mathematics 22
Social Sciences Reading 22
Biology Science 23
STEM STEM 26
ELA ELA 20