Table 175.

ACT score averages and standard deviations, by sex and race/ethnicity, and percentage of ACT test takers, by selected composite score ranges and planned fields of study: Selected years, 1995 through 2012

Score type and test-taker characteristic	1995	2000	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14
Total test takers
Number (in thousands)	945	1,065	1,116	1,175	1,171	1,186	1,206	1,301	1,422	1,480	1,569	1,623	1,666
Percent of graduates	37.5	37.6	38.4	39.0	38.4	38.2	38.6	40.6	42.9	44.2	45.7	47.7	49.1
	Average test score1
Composite score, total	20.8	21.0	20.8	20.8	20.9	20.9	21.1	21.2	21.1	21.1	21.0	21.1	21.1
Sex
Male	21.0	21.2	20.9	21.0	21.0	21.1	21.2	21.2	21.2	21.3	21.2	21.2	21.2
Female	20.7	20.9	20.7	20.8	20.9	20.9	21.0	21.0	21.0	20.9	20.9	21.0	21.0
Race/ethnicity
White	—	22.7	21.7	21.7	21.8	21.9	22.0	22.1	22.1	22.2	22.3	22.4	22.4
Black	—	17.8	16.8	16.9	17.1	17.0	17.1	17.0	16.9	16.9	16.9	17.0	17.0
Hispanic	—	—	18.4	18.5	18.5	18.6	18.6	18.7	18.7	18.7	18.6	18.7	18.9
Asian/Pacific Islander	—	22.4	21.6	21.8	21.9	22.1	22.3	22.6	22.9	23.2	23.4	—	—
Asian	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	23.6	23.6
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	19.5	19.8
American Indian/Alaska Native	—	20.4	18.6	18.7	18.8	18.7	18.8	18.9	19.0	18.9	19.0	18.6	18.4
Two or more races	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	21.1	21.4
Subject-area scores
English	20.2	20.5	20.2	20.3	20.4	20.4	20.6	20.7	20.6	20.6	20.5	20.6	20.5
Male	19.8	20.0	19.7	19.8	19.9	20.0	20.1	20.2	20.1	20.2	20.1	20.2	20.2
Female	20.6	20.9	20.6	20.7	20.8	20.8	21.0	21.0	21.0	20.9	20.8	20.9	20.9
Mathematics	20.2	20.7	20.6	20.6	20.7	20.7	20.8	21.0	21.0	21.0	21.0	21.1	21.1
Male	20.9	21.4	21.2	21.2	21.3	21.3	21.5	21.6	21.6	21.6	21.6	21.6	21.7
Female	19.7	20.2	20.1	20.1	20.2	20.2	20.3	20.4	20.4	20.4	20.5	20.6	20.6
Reading	21.3	21.4	21.1	21.2	21.3	21.3	21.4	21.5	21.4	21.4	21.3	21.3	21.3
Male	21.1	21.2	20.9	21.0	21.1	21.0	21.1	21.2	21.2	21.3	21.1	21.1	21.2
Female	21.4	21.5	21.3	21.4	21.5	21.5	21.6	21.6	21.5	21.4	21.4	21.4	21.4
Science reasoning	21.0	21.0	20.8	20.8	20.9	20.9	20.9	21.0	20.8	20.9	20.9	20.9	20.9
Male	21.6	21.6	21.3	21.3	21.3	21.4	21.4	21.4	21.3	21.4	21.4	21.4	21.4
Female	20.5	20.6	20.4	20.4	20.5	20.5	20.5	20.5	20.4	20.4	20.5	20.5	20.5
	Standard deviation2
Composite score, total	—	4.7	4.8	4.8	4.8	—	4.8	5.0	5.0	5.1	5.2	5.2	5.3
Sex
Male	—	4.9	5.0	5.0	5.0	5.0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Female	—	4.6	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Subject-area scores
English	—	5.5	5.8	5.8	5.9	—	5.9	6.0	6.1	6.3	6.4	6.5	6.5
Male	—	5.6	5.8	5.8	5.9	6.0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Female	—	5.5	5.7	5.8	5.8	5.9	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Mathematics	—	5.0	5.0	5.1	5.0	—	5.0	5.1	5.2	5.3	5.3	5.3	5.3
Male	—	5.2	5.3	4.8	5.3	5.3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Female	—	4.8	4.8	5.3	4.8	4.8	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Reading	—	6.1	6.1	6.1	6.0	—	6.0	6.1	6.1	6.2	6.2	6.2	6.2
Male	—	6.1	6.3	5.3	6.1	6.1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Female	—	6.0	6.1	4.8	5.9	6.0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Science reasoning	—	4.5	4.6	4.6	4.6	—	4.6	4.9	4.9	5.0	5.1	5.1	5.2
Male	—	4.8	4.9	4.9	4.9	4.9	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Female	—	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	Percent of ACT test takers
Obtaining composite scores of--
28 or above	—	10	10	10	10	10	11	11	12	12	12	13	13
17 or below	—	25	27	27	26	26	25	25	26	27	28	28	28
Planned major field of study
Business3	13	11	10	10	9	9	9	8	11	12	11	10	9
Education4	8	9	8	7	7	6	6	5	6	7	7	6	6
Engineering5	8	8	7	7	6	6	6	5	7	8	8	8	8
Health sciences and technologies	—	17	15	16	17	16	15	14	17	19	20	19	19
Social sciences6	9	9	8	8	7	7	6	5	6	7	7	8	9

—Not available.

1 Minimum score is 1 and maximum score is 36.

2 Standard deviations not available for racial/ethnic groups.

3 For years prior to 2011, includes business and management, business and office, and marketing and distribution.

4 For years prior to 2011, includes education and teacher education.

5 Includes engineering and engineering-related technologies.

6 Includes social sciences and philosophy, religion, and theology. For 2011 and 2012, also includes law.

NOTE: Data are for high school graduates who took the ACT during their sophomore, junior, or senior year. If a student took a test more than once, the most recent score was 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 2012. 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 2008–09; Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 1995 through 2007; and Projections of Education Statistics to 2020. (This table was prepared September 2012.)