IES
National Center for
Education Statistics
Table 226.60. | Average ACT scores and percentage of graduates taking the ACT, by state: 2016 and 2020 |
State | 2016 | 2020 | Percent taking ACT 1 | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Subject-area scores | Subject-area scores | |||||||||||
Composite score | English score | Mathematics score | Reading score | Science score | Composite score | English score | Mathematics score | Reading score | Science score | 2016 | 2020 | |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
United States | 20.8 | 20.1 | 20.6 | 21.3 | 20.8 | 20.7 | 20.1 | 20.4 | 21.2 | 20.6 | 58 | 46 |
Alabama | 19.1 | 18.7 | 18.3 | 19.7 | 19.1 | 18.8 | 18.5 | 18.1 | 19.3 | 18.8 | 100 | 100 |
Alaska | 20.0 | 18.9 | 20.0 | 20.6 | 19.8 | 20.1 | 18.8 | 20.0 | 21.0 | 20.1 | 53 | 33 |
Arizona | 20.1 | 19.1 | 20.2 | 20.5 | 20.0 | 19.1 | 18.0 | 19.3 | 19.5 | 19.1 | 58 | 71 |
Arkansas | 20.2 | 19.8 | 19.6 | 20.7 | 20.2 | 19.0 | 18.7 | 18.4 | 19.4 | 19.1 | 96 | 100 |
California | 22.6 | 22.1 | 22.7 | 22.9 | 22.1 | 23.3 | 23.1 | 22.9 | 23.8 | 22.8 | 33 | 19 |
Colorado | 20.6 | 20.0 | 20.3 | 20.9 | 20.9 | 23.7 | 23.6 | 23.1 | 24.4 | 23.4 | 100 | 25 |
Connecticut | 24.5 | 24.4 | 24.1 | 25.0 | 24.1 | 25.9 | 26.3 | 25.1 | 26.5 | 25.3 | 34 | 19 |
Delaware | 23.6 | 23.3 | 23.2 | 24.3 | 23.2 | 24.2 | 24.4 | 23.2 | 25.1 | 23.7 | 21 | 11 |
District of Columbia | 22.2 | 21.8 | 21.8 | 22.8 | 21.7 | 23.1 | 23.2 | 22.3 | 23.9 | 22.6 | 44 | 33 |
Florida | 19.9 | 18.9 | 19.5 | 21.1 | 19.5 | 20.6 | 20.1 | 19.8 | 21.7 | 20.2 | 81 | 46 |
Georgia | 21.1 | 20.7 | 20.6 | 21.8 | 21.0 | 21.7 | 21.3 | 21.0 | 22.5 | 21.6 | 60 | 43 |
Hawaii | 18.7 | 17.6 | 19.1 | 19.0 | 18.6 | 18.5 | 17.2 | 18.6 | 19.1 | 18.7 | 94 | 82 |
Idaho | 22.7 | 22.3 | 22.1 | 23.5 | 22.4 | 22.7 | 22.1 | 21.9 | 23.8 | 22.4 | 39 | 28 |
Illinois | 20.8 | 20.5 | 20.6 | 21.0 | 20.6 | 24.7 | 24.9 | 24.1 | 25.1 | 24.1 | 100 | 31 |
Indiana | 22.3 | 21.6 | 22.1 | 22.9 | 22.0 | 22.6 | 21.9 | 22.4 | 23.3 | 22.2 | 41 | 25 |
Iowa | 22.1 | 21.4 | 21.4 | 22.7 | 22.3 | 21.1 | 20.1 | 20.5 | 22.0 | 21.3 | 68 | 68 |
Kansas | 21.9 | 21.3 | 21.5 | 22.5 | 21.8 | 20.4 | 19.5 | 20.0 | 21.0 | 20.4 | 74 | 82 |
Kentucky | 20.0 | 19.7 | 19.3 | 20.6 | 19.9 | 19.5 | 18.9 | 19.0 | 20.1 | 19.6 | 100 | 100 |
Louisiana | 19.5 | 19.3 | 18.8 | 19.9 | 19.6 | 18.7 | 18.3 | 18.1 | 19.1 | 18.9 | 100 | 100 |
Maine | 23.6 | 23.3 | 23.8 | 23.9 | 23.1 | 24.9 | 25.0 | 24.0 | 25.8 | 24.2 | 10 | 5 |
Maryland | 23.0 | 22.6 | 22.7 | 23.6 | 22.8 | 23.8 | 23.7 | 22.9 | 24.6 | 23.4 | 27 | 19 |
Massachusetts | 24.8 | 24.4 | 24.9 | 25.3 | 24.1 | 26.0 | 26.0 | 25.6 | 26.6 | 25.4 | 28 | 18 |
Michigan | 20.3 | 19.9 | 19.9 | 20.7 | 20.5 | 24.6 | 24.6 | 24.1 | 25.0 | 24.1 | 100 | 17 |
Minnesota | 21.1 | 20.0 | 21.2 | 21.3 | 21.3 | 21.3 | 20.0 | 21.3 | 21.8 | 21.5 | 100 | 92 |
Mississippi | 18.4 | 17.9 | 18.0 | 18.7 | 18.5 | 18.2 | 17.8 | 17.7 | 18.5 | 18.4 | 100 | 100 |
Missouri | 20.2 | 19.7 | 19.8 | 20.6 | 20.4 | 20.7 | 20.1 | 20.1 | 21.3 | 20.8 | 100 | 78 |
Montana | 20.3 | 19.0 | 20.2 | 20.8 | 20.5 | 19.9 | 18.7 | 19.8 | 20.4 | 20.0 | 100 | 100 |
Nebraska | 21.4 | 20.9 | 20.8 | 21.8 | 21.5 | 19.9 | 19.2 | 19.7 | 20.2 | 20.0 | 88 | 100 |
Nevada | 17.7 | 16.2 | 18.0 | 18.1 | 18.1 | 17.9 | 16.7 | 18.0 | 18.3 | 18.1 | 100 | 100 |
New Hampshire | 24.5 | 24.0 | 24.4 | 25.1 | 24.1 | 25.7 | 25.7 | 25.2 | 26.2 | 25.3 | 23 | 12 |
New Jersey | 23.1 | 22.7 | 23.3 | 23.5 | 22.5 | 24.4 | 24.5 | 24.0 | 24.7 | 23.7 | 32 | 23 |
New Mexico | 19.9 | 18.9 | 19.5 | 20.5 | 20.1 | 19.3 | 18.1 | 18.8 | 20.1 | 19.6 | 70 | 56 |
New York | 23.9 | 23.2 | 23.9 | 24.4 | 23.7 | 24.9 | 24.5 | 24.5 | 25.4 | 24.6 | 29 | 20 |
North Carolina | 19.1 | 17.8 | 19.4 | 19.5 | 19.2 | 18.8 | 17.3 | 18.9 | 19.5 | 18.9 | 100 | 100 |
North Dakota | 20.3 | 19.1 | 20.3 | 20.7 | 20.7 | 19.6 | 18.2 | 19.6 | 20.1 | 20.1 | 100 | 94 |
Ohio | 22.0 | 21.2 | 21.6 | 22.5 | 22.0 | 19.9 | 18.8 | 19.8 | 20.4 | 20.0 | 73 | 100 |
Oklahoma | 20.4 | 19.8 | 19.5 | 21.3 | 20.5 | 18.7 | 17.9 | 18.0 | 19.5 | 18.9 | 82 | 100 |
Oregon | 21.7 | 21.0 | 21.4 | 22.3 | 21.6 | 21.0 | 20.0 | 20.6 | 21.9 | 20.8 | 39 | 42 |
Pennsylvania | 23.1 | 22.6 | 23.0 | 23.6 | 22.8 | 23.7 | 23.4 | 23.2 | 24.3 | 23.4 | 23 | 15 |
Rhode Island | 23.3 | 23.1 | 22.9 | 24.0 | 22.8 | 24.8 | 25.1 | 23.9 | 25.7 | 24.1 | 20 | 11 |
South Carolina | 18.5 | 17.3 | 18.5 | 19.0 | 18.6 | 18.4 | 17.3 | 18.3 | 19.0 | 18.6 | 100 | 76 |
South Dakota | 21.9 | 20.9 | 21.7 | 22.4 | 22.2 | 21.7 | 20.7 | 21.5 | 22.4 | 21.9 | 76 | 70 |
Tennessee | 19.9 | 19.6 | 19.2 | 20.3 | 19.9 | 19.3 | 19.1 | 18.7 | 19.6 | 19.1 | 100 | 100 |
Texas | 20.6 | 19.4 | 20.7 | 21.0 | 20.7 | 20.2 | 19.1 | 20.1 | 20.8 | 20.4 | 45 | 38 |
Utah | 20.2 | 19.5 | 19.7 | 20.9 | 20.3 | 20.2 | 19.3 | 19.7 | 21.0 | 20.3 | 100 | 100 |
Vermont | 23.4 | 22.9 | 22.9 | 24.1 | 23.2 | 23.3 | 23.0 | 22.4 | 24.5 | 23.0 | 29 | 23 |
Virginia | 23.3 | 22.9 | 22.9 | 24.0 | 23.1 | 24.4 | 24.2 | 23.5 | 25.2 | 24.0 | 31 | 19 |
Washington | 23.1 | 22.3 | 23.2 | 23.6 | 22.9 | 22.9 | 22.2 | 22.5 | 23.7 | 22.6 | 25 | 20 |
West Virginia | 20.7 | 20.5 | 19.6 | 21.5 | 20.7 | 20.9 | 20.6 | 19.8 | 21.8 | 20.9 | 67 | 38 |
Wisconsin | 20.5 | 19.7 | 20.4 | 20.7 | 20.7 | 20.1 | 19.1 | 19.9 | 20.5 | 20.3 | 100 | 100 |
Wyoming | 20.0 | 19.2 | 19.6 | 20.4 | 20.4 | 19.7 | 18.6 | 19.3 | 20.2 | 20.0 | 100 | 100 |
1 Members of the graduating class who had taken the ACT as a percentage of all students who graduated in that school year. State percentages were calculated by ACT based on the number of high school graduates in each state as projected by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). Total percentages for the United States were calculated by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) based on NCES projections of the total number of U.S. high school graduates. | ||||||||||||
NOTE: The minimum score on the ACT is 1 and the maximum score is 36. Data are for high school graduates who took the ACT test during their sophomore, junior, or senior year. If a student took the ACT test more than once, the composite and subject-area scores from the most recent test were used. | ||||||||||||
SOURCE: ACT, The Condition of College and Career Readiness, 2016 and 2020. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National High School Graduates Projection Model, 1972-73 through 2029-30. (This table was prepared June 2021.) |