Digest of Education Statistics: 2005
Digest of Education Statistics: 2005

NCES 2006-030
June 2006


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.)