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Digest of Education Statistics
2015 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 226.50. Number and percentage of graduates taking the ACT test; average scores and standard deviations, by sex and race/ethnicity; and percentage of test takers with selected composite scores and planned fields of postsecondary study: Selected years, 1995 through 2015
Score type and test-taker characteristic 1995 2000 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Total test takers                          
Number (in thousands) 945 1,065 1,186 1,206 1,301 1,422 1,480 1,569 1,623 1,666 1,799 1,846 1,924
Percent of all graduates1 37.5 37.6 38.2 38.6 40.6 42.9 44.2 45.6 47.0 48.2 51.7 53.0 55.3
  Average test score2
Composite score, total 20.8 21.0 20.9 21.1 21.2 21.1 21.1 21.0 21.1 21.1 20.9 21.0 21.0
Sex                          
Male 21.0 21.2 21.1 21.2 21.2 21.2 21.3 21.2 21.2 21.2 20.9 21.1 21.1
Female 20.7 20.9 20.9 21.0 21.0 21.0 20.9 20.9 21.0 21.0 20.9 20.9 21.0
Race/ethnicity                          
White 21.8 21.9 22.0 22.1 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 22.4 22.2 22.3 22.4
Black 17.0 17.0 17.1 17.0 16.9 16.9 16.9 17.0 17.0 16.9 17.0 17.1
Hispanic 18.6 18.6 18.7 18.7 18.7 18.6 18.7 18.9 18.8 18.8 18.9
Asian/Pacific Islander 21.7 22.1 22.3 22.6 22.9 23.2 23.4
Asian 23.6 23.6 23.5 23.5 23.9
Pacific Islander 19.5 19.8 19.5 18.6 18.8
American Indian/Alaska Native 19.0 18.7 18.8 18.9 19.0 18.9 19.0 18.6 18.4 18.0 18.0 17.9
Two or more races 21.1 21.4 21.1 21.2 21.2
                           
Subject-area scores                          
English 20.2 20.5 20.4 20.6 20.7 20.6 20.6 20.5 20.6 20.5 20.2 20.3 20.4
Male 19.8 20.0 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.1 20.2 20.1 20.2 20.2 19.8 20.0 20.0
Female 20.6 20.9 20.8 21.0 21.0 21.0 20.9 20.8 20.9 20.9 20.6 20.7 20.8
                           
Mathematics 20.2 20.7 20.7 20.8 21.0 21.0 21.0 21.0 21.1 21.1 20.9 20.9 20.8
Male 20.9 21.4 21.3 21.5 21.6 21.6 21.6 21.6 21.6 21.7 21.4 21.4 21.3
Female 19.7 20.2 20.2 20.3 20.4 20.4 20.4 20.5 20.6 20.6 20.5 20.5 20.4
                           
Reading 21.3 21.4 21.3 21.4 21.5 21.4 21.4 21.3 21.3 21.3 21.1 21.3 21.4
Male 21.1 21.2 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.2 21.3 21.1 21.1 21.2 20.9 21.1 21.2
Female 21.4 21.5 21.5 21.6 21.6 21.5 21.4 21.4 21.4 21.4 21.4 21.5 21.6
                           
Science reasoning 21.0 21.0 20.9 20.9 21.0 20.8 20.9 20.9 20.9 20.9 20.7 20.8 20.9
Male 21.6 21.6 21.4 21.4 21.4 21.3 21.4 21.4 21.4 21.4 21.2 21.2 21.3
Female 20.5 20.6 20.5 20.5 20.5 20.4 20.4 20.5 20.5 20.5 20.4 20.5 20.6
  Standard deviation3
Composite score, total 4.7 4.8 5.0 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.4 5.5
Sex                          
Male 4.9 5.0
Female 4.6 4.7
                           
Subject-area scores                          
English 5.5 5.9 6.0 6.1 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.6 6.7
Male 5.6 6.0
Female 5.5 5.9
                           
Mathematics 5.0 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.3 5.3 5.3 5.3 5.3 5.4
Male 5.2 5.3
Female 4.8 4.8
                           
Reading 6.1 6.0 6.1 6.1 6.2 6.2 6.2 6.2 6.3 6.3 6.4
Male 6.1 6.1
Female 6.0 6.0
                           
Science reasoning 4.5 4.6 4.9 4.9 5.0 5.1 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.5 5.5
Male 4.8 4.9
Female 4.3 4.3
  Percent of ACT test takers
Composite score                          
28 or above 10 10 11 11 12 12 12 13 13 13 13 14
17 or below 25 26 25 25 26 27 28 28 28 30 30 30
                           
Planned major field of study                          
Business4 13 11 9 9 8 11 12 11 10 9 9 9 9
Education5 8 9 6 6 5 6 7 7 6 6 5 5 5
Engineering6 8 8 6 6 5 7 8 8 8 8 9 9 10
Health sciences and technologies 17 16 15 14 17 19 20 19 19 19 19 18
Social sciences7 9 9 7 6 5 6 7 7 8 9 8 8 8
—Not available.
1 Those members of the graduating class who had taken the ACT test as a percentage of all students who graduated in that school year. For example, the 2015 column shows test-taking members of the class of 2015 as a percentage of all 2014-15 high school graduates.
2 Minimum score is 1 and maximum score is 36.
3 Standard deviations not available for racial/ethnic groups.
4 For years prior to 2011, includes business and management, business and office, and marketing and distribution.
5 For years prior to 2011, includes education and teacher education.
6 Includes engineering as well as engineering technology and drafting.
7 Includes social sciences and philosophy, religion, and theology. For 2011 and later years, also includes law.
NOTE: 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. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Some data have been revised from previously published figures.
SOURCE: ACT, High School Profile Report, selected years, 1995 through 2015. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Survey of Public Elementary/Secondary Education," 1995-96 through 2009-10; "State Dropout and Completion Data File," 2005-06 through 2012-13; Public School Graduates and Dropouts from the Common Core of Data, 2007-08 and 2008-09; Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 1995 through 2013; and National High School Graduates Projection Model, 1972-73 through 2025-26. (This table was prepared January 2016.)

2015 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest