Image Credit: biologycorner / CC
By Samuel Stebbins, 24/7 Wall St. via The Center Square –
Roughly 1.3 million graduating high school students in 2022 – 36% of the total – sat down for the ACT exam. The ACT (formerly the American College Testing Program) assesses college readiness in English, math, science, and reading. Many colleges base admittance on a student’s ACT test results.
In recent years, an alarming trend has emerged, as ACT scores have steadily declined. According to ACT, Inc., the national average composite score decreased from 20.3 in 2021 to 19.8 in 2022 – the lowest average since 1991.
In a blog on the ACT website, CEO Janet Godwin noted that only 22% of the students who took the test met all four ACT benchmarks, or the levels at which the organization deems students stand a greater chance of success in higher education. Meanwhile, 42% did not achieve any of the benchmarks.
While ACT scores have declined nationwide in recent years, there is considerable variation in average ACT scores from state to state. In Tennessee, the average composite ACT score in 2022 was 18.6 out of a possible 36, the eighth lowest among states.
Of the four test components that go into the overall composite score, students in Tennessee scored best in the reading section, with an average score of 19.0. Meanwhile, the test category with the lowest average score in the state was English, at 18.0 points out of 36.
All data in this story is from Scholaroo, a global scholarship database.
| State | Avg. composite ACT score | Avg. English score | Avg. math score | Avg. reading score | Avg. science score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 18.0 | 17.3 | 17.4 | 18.5 | 18.2 |
| Alaska | 20.4 | 19.3 | 20.0 | 21.4 | 20.4 |
| Arizona | 18.4 | 17.3 | 18.5 | 18.8 | 18.5 |
| Arkansas | 18.8 | 18.3 | 18.1 | 19.2 | 19.1 |
| California | 26.5 | 26.9 | 25.6 | 27.3 | 25.8 |
| Colorado | 23.2 | 23.0 | 22.4 | 24.0 | 23.0 |
| Connecticut | 26.3 | 26.8 | 25.3 | 27.1 | 25.7 |
| Delaware | 24.9 | 25.3 | 23.6 | 26.1 | 24.3 |
| Florida | 19.0 | 18.5 | 18.4 | 20.0 | 18.8 |
| Georgia | 21.6 | 21.0 | 20.8 | 22.5 | 21.5 |
| Hawaii | 18.8 | 17.6 | 18.6 | 19.4 | 19.1 |
| Idaho | 22.8 | 22.3 | 22.2 | 23.7 | 22.6 |
| Illinois | 24.5 | 24.8 | 23.7 | 25.2 | 24.0 |
| Indiana | 22.8 | 22.1 | 22.5 | 23.7 | 22.5 |
| Iowa | 21.4 | 20.4 | 20.6 | 22.3 | 21.6 |
| Kansas | 19.9 | 18.9 | 19.4 | 20.6 | 20.1 |
| Kentucky | 18.6 | 17.8 | 18.0 | 19.2 | 18.7 |
| Louisiana | 18.1 | 17.6 | 17.4 | 18.6 | 18.3 |
| Maine | 25.1 | 25.2 | 23.7 | 26.2 | 24.6 |
| Maryland | 24.4 | 24.6 | 23.0 | 25.4 | 23.9 |
| Massachusetts | 26.5 | 26.6 | 25.6 | 27.3 | 25.8 |
| Michigan | 24.6 | 24.7 | 23.9 | 25.2 | 24.2 |
| Minnesota | 21.0 | 19.7 | 20.7 | 21.7 | 21.4 |
| Mississippi | 17.8 | 17.2 | 17.4 | 18.2 | 18.0 |
| Missouri | 20.2 | 19.5 | 19.5 | 21.0 | 20.4 |
| Montana | 19.3 | 18.0 | 19.0 | 20.1 | 19.5 |
| Nebraska | 19.4 | 18.6 | 19.1 | 19.8 | 19.6 |
| Nevada | 17.3 | 16.1 | 17.1 | 17.8 | 17.6 |
| New Hampshire | 25.7 | 25.7 | 25.0 | 26.5 | 25.2 |
| New Jersey | 24.6 | 24.9 | 23.9 | 25.1 | 24.0 |
| New Mexico | 19.8 | 18.7 | 19.1 | 20.9 | 20.1 |
| New York | 25.3 | 25.2 | 24.6 | 26.0 | 25.0 |
| North Carolina | 18.5 | 17.1 | 18.5 | 19.2 | 18.8 |
| North Dakota | 19.2 | 17.9 | 19.1 | 19.7 | 19.6 |
| Ohio | 19.4 | 18.2 | 19.2 | 20.0 | 19.7 |
| Oklahoma | 17.9 | 17.0 | 17.3 | 18.6 | 18.2 |
| Oregon | 23.0 | 22.5 | 22.0 | 24.2 | 22.8 |
| Pennsylvania | 24.4 | 24.3 | 23.7 | 25.2 | 24.0 |
| Rhode Island | 25.2 | 25.3 | 24.0 | 26.2 | 24.7 |
| South Carolina | 18.9 | 17.8 | 18.5 | 19.6 | 19.1 |
| South Dakota | 21.5 | 20.5 | 21.2 | 22.2 | 21.7 |
| Tennessee | 18.6 | 18.0 | 18.1 | 19.0 | 18.6 |
| Texas | 19.8 | 18.7 | 19.5 | 20.4 | 19.9 |
| Utah | 19.9 | 18.9 | 19.4 | 20.6 | 20.2 |
| Vermont | 23.7 | 23.4 | 22.4 | 25.0 | 23.5 |
| Virginia | 24.6 | 24.6 | 23.5 | 25.7 | 24.3 |
| Washington | 24.6 | 24.3 | 23.6 | 25.6 | 24.3 |
| West Virginia | 20.5 | 20.2 | 19.4 | 21.4 | 20.4 |
| Wisconsin | 19.4 | 18.3 | 19.3 | 19.7 | 19.8 |
| Wyoming | 19.2 | 18.1 | 18.9 | 20.0 | 19.5 |
One Response
These scores make my heart hurt. To be honest it doesn’t surprise me at all. I hear from teachers all the time that they can’t teach for all the government tests they have to give. Why? What are they for? Do they know how bad the schools are? Of course, they do. This is all part of their plan. To dumb down our Country so they can take it over to socialism.
Wake up Tennessee, Governor Lee. Look at what the blue counties are teaching these children. Parents look what the blue counties are doing to your children.