Skip Navigation
Digest of Education Statistics
2005 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 130. ACT score averages and standard deviations, by selected characteristics, sex, and race/ethnicity: Selected years, 1995 through 2004
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                            |                       Number                      |             Standard deviation
                            |___________________________________________________|_______________________________________
Selected characteristic     |1995|1997|1998| 1999| 2000| 2001| 2002|  2003| 2004|1997|1998|1999|2000|2001|2002|2003|2004
____________________________|____|____|____|_____|_____|_____|_____|______|_____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____
1                           |   2|   3|   4|    5|    6|    7|    8|     9|   10|  11|  12|  13|  14|  15|  16|  17|  18
____________________________|____|____|____|_____|_____|_____|_____|______|_____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____
Total test takers           |    |    |    |     |     |     |     |      |     |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
   (in thousands) ..........| 945| 959| 995|1,019|1,065|1,070|1,116| 1,175|1,171|  † |  † |  † |  † |  † |  † |  † |  †
                            |____|____|____|_____|_____|_____|_____|______|_____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____
                            |                                   Average test score\1\
                            |___________________________________________________________________________________________
Composite, total ...........|20.8|21.0|21.0| 21.0| 21.0| 21.0| 20.8|  20.8| 20.9| 4.7| 4.7| 4.7| 4.7| 4.7| 4.8| 4.8| 4.8
  Male .....................|21.0|21.1|21.2| 21.1| 21.2| 21.1| 20.9|  21.0| 21.0| 4.9| 4.9| 4.9| 4.9| 4.9| 5.0| 5.0| 5.0
  Female ...................|20.7|20.8|20.9| 20.9| 20.9| 20.9| 20.7|  20.8| 20.9| 4.6| 4.6| 4.6| 4.6| 4.6| 4.7| 4.7| 4.7
                            |    |    |    |     |     |     |     |      |     |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
Race/ethnicity              |    |    |    |     |     |     |     |      |     |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
  White, non-Hispanic ......|--- |22.8|22.7| 22.7| 22.7| 21.8| 22.6|  21.7| 21.8|--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |---
  Black, non-Hispanic ......|--- |17.9|17.9| 17.9| 17.8| 16.9| 17.6|  16.9| 17.1|--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |---
  Mexican American/         |--- |    |    |     |     |     |     |      |     |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |---
     Chicano ...............|--- |19.9|19.6| 19.6| 19.5| 18.5| 19.0|  18.3| 18.4|--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |---
  Puerto Rican/Hispanic ....|--- |20.1|20.7| 20.7| 20.5| 19.4| 20.0|  19.0| 18.8|--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |---
  Asian American or         |--- |    |    |     |     |     |     |      |     |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |---
     Pacific Islander ......|--- |22.5|22.6| 22.3| 22.4| 21.7| 22.3|  21.8| 21.9|--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |---
  American Indian/          |--- |    |    |     |     |     |     |      |     |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |---
     Alaska Native .........|--- |20.4|20.4| 20.4| 20.4| 18.8| 20.1|  18.7| 18.8|--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |---
                            |    |    |    |     |     |     |     |      |     |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
English, total .............|20.2|20.3|20.4| 20.5| 20.5| 20.5| 20.2|  20.3| 20.4| 5.4| 5.4| 5.5| 5.5| 5.6| 5.8| 5.8| 5.9
  Male .....................|19.8|19.9|19.9| 20.0| 20.0| 20.0| 19.7|  19.8| 19.9| 5.4| 5.4| 5.5| 5.6| 5.6| 5.8| 5.8| 5.9
  Female ...................|20.6|20.7|20.8| 20.9| 20.9| 20.8| 20.6|  20.7| 20.8| 5.4| 5.4| 5.5| 5.5| 5.6| 5.7| 5.8| 5.8
                            |    |    |    |     |     |     |     |      |     |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
Mathematics, total .........|20.2|20.6|20.8| 20.7| 20.7| 20.7| 20.6|  20.6| 20.7| 5.0| 5.1| 5.0| 5.0| 5.0| 5.0| 5.1| 5.0
  Male .....................|20.9|21.3|21.5| 21.4| 21.4| 21.4| 21.2|  21.2| 21.3| 5.2| 5.3| 5.2| 5.2| 5.2| 5.3| 4.8| 5.3
  Female ...................|19.7|20.1|20.2| 20.2| 20.2| 20.2| 20.1|  20.1| 20.2| 4.7| 4.8| 4.7| 4.8| 4.7| 4.8| 5.3| 4.8
                            |    |    |    |     |     |     |     |      |     |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
Reading, total .............|21.3|21.3|21.4| 21.4| 21.4| 21.3| 21.1|  21.2| 21.3| 6.1| 6.0| 6.0| 6.1| 6.0| 6.1| 6.1| 6.0
  Male .....................|21.1|21.2|21.1| 21.1| 21.2| 21.1| 20.9|  21.0| 21.1| 6.1| 6.2| 6.1| 6.1| 6.1| 6.3| 5.3| 6.1
  Female ...................|21.4|21.5|21.6| 21.6| 21.5| 21.5| 21.3|  21.4| 21.5| 6.0| 5.9| 5.9| 6.0| 6.0| 6.1| 4.8| 5.9
                            |    |    |    |     |     |     |     |      |     |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
Science reasoning, total ...|21.0|21.1|21.1| 21.0| 21.0| 21.0| 20.8|  20.8| 20.9| 4.7| 4.6| 4.5| 4.5| 4.6| 4.6| 4.6| 4.6
  Male .....................|21.6|21.7|21.8| 21.5| 21.6| 21.6| 21.3|  21.3| 21.3| 4.9| 4.9| 4.8| 4.8| 4.9| 4.9| 4.9| 4.9
  Female ...................|20.5|20.6|20.6| 20.6| 20.6| 20.6| 20.4|  20.4| 20.5| 4.4| 4.3| 4.2| 4.3| 4.3| 4.3| 4.3| 4.3
                            |____|____|____|_____|_____|_____|_____|______|_____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____
                            |                                           Percent
                            |___________________________________________________________________________________________
Obtaining composite         |    |    |    |     |     |     |     |      |     |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
   scores of--              |    |    |    |     |     |     |     |      |     |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
  28 or above ..............|--- |  10|  10|   10|   10|   10|   10|    10|   10|  † |  † |  † |  † |  † |  † |  † |  †
  17 or below ..............|--- |  26|  25|   25|   25|   25|   27|    27|   26|  † |  † |  † |  † |  † |  † |  † |  †
                            |    |    |    |     |     |     |     |      |     |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
Planned major field of      |    |    |    |     |     |     |     |      |     |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
   of study                 |    |    |    |     |     |     |     |      |     |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
  Business\2\ ..............|  13|  12|  12|   12|   11|   11|   10|    10|    9|  † |  † |  † |  † |  † |  † |  † |  †
  Engineering\3\ ...........|   8|   8|   8|    8|    8|    7|    7|     7|    6|  † |  † |  † |  † |  † |  † |  † |  †
  Social science\4\ ........|   9|   9|   9|    9|    9|    9|    8|     8|    7|  † |  † |  † |  † |  † |  † |  † |  †
  Education\5\ .............|   8|   9|   9|    9|    9|    8|    8|     7|    7|  † |  † |  † |  † |  † |  † |  † |  †
____________________________|____|____|____|_____|_____|_____|_____|______|_____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____
---Not available
†Not applicable.
\1\Minimum score, 1; maximum score, 36.
\2\Includes business and management, business and office, and marketing and distribution.
\3\Includes engineering and engineering-related technologies.
\4\Includes social science and philosophy, religion, and theology.
\5\Includes education and teacher education.
SOURCE: The American College Testing program, High School Profile Report, selected years 1995 through 2004. (This table was prepared April 2005.)


2005 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest