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 2017

Score type and test-taker characteristic	1995	2000	2005	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014		2015		2016		2017
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	1,422	1,480	1,569	1,623	1,666	1,799	1,846		1,924		2,090		2,030
Percent of all graduates1	38	38	38	43	44	46	47	48	52	53	2	55	2	59	2	56	2
	Average test score3
Composite score, total	20.8	21.0	20.9	21.1	21.1	21.0	21.1	21.1	20.9	21.0		21.0		20.8		21.0
Sex
Male	21.0	21.2	21.1	21.2	21.3	21.2	21.2	21.2	20.9	21.1		21.1		20.9		21.0
Female	20.7	20.9	20.9	21.0	20.9	20.9	21.0	21.0	20.9	20.9		21.0		20.9		21.1
Race/ethnicity
White	—	21.8	21.9	22.1	22.2	22.3	22.4	22.4	22.2	22.3		22.4		22.2		22.4
Black	—	17.0	17.0	16.9	16.9	16.9	17.0	17.0	16.9	17.0		17.1		17.0		17.1
Hispanic	—	—	18.6	18.7	18.7	18.6	18.7	18.9	18.8	18.8		18.9		18.7		18.9
Asian/Pacific Islander	—	21.7	22.1	22.9	23.2	23.4	—	—	—	—		—		—		—
Asian	—	—	—	—	—	—	23.6	23.6	23.5	23.5		23.9		24.0		24.3
Pacific Islander	—	—	—	—	—	—	19.5	19.8	19.5	18.6		18.8		18.6		18.4
American Indian/Alaska Native	—	19.0	18.7	19.0	18.9	19.0	18.6	18.4	18.0	18.0		17.9		17.7		17.5
Two or more races	—	—	—	—	—	—	21.1	21.4	21.1	21.2		21.2		21.0		21.2
Subject-area scores
English	20.2	20.5	20.4	20.6	20.6	20.5	20.6	20.5	20.2	20.3		20.4		20.1		20.3
Male	19.8	20.0	20.0	20.1	20.2	20.1	20.2	20.2	19.8	20.0		20.0		19.8		19.9
Female	20.6	20.9	20.8	21.0	20.9	20.8	20.9	20.9	20.6	20.7		20.8		20.6		20.8
Mathematics	20.2	20.7	20.7	21.0	21.0	21.0	21.1	21.1	20.9	20.9		20.8		20.6		20.7
Male	20.9	21.4	21.3	21.6	21.6	21.6	21.6	21.7	21.4	21.4		21.3		21.0		21.2
Female	19.7	20.2	20.2	20.4	20.4	20.5	20.6	20.6	20.5	20.5		20.4		20.3		20.4
Reading	21.3	21.4	21.3	21.4	21.4	21.3	21.3	21.3	21.1	21.3		21.4		21.3		21.4
Male	21.1	21.2	21.0	21.2	21.3	21.1	21.1	21.2	20.9	21.1		21.2		21.0		21.2
Female	21.4	21.5	21.5	21.5	21.4	21.4	21.4	21.4	21.4	21.5		21.6		21.6		21.8
Science	21.0	21.0	20.9	20.8	20.9	20.9	20.9	20.9	20.7	20.8		20.9		20.8		21.0
Male	21.6	21.6	21.4	21.3	21.4	21.4	21.4	21.4	21.2	21.2		21.3		21.1		21.3
Female	20.5	20.6	20.5	20.4	20.4	20.5	20.5	20.5	20.4	20.5		20.6		20.6		20.8
STEM4	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	21.3	21.1	21.1		21.1		20.9		21.1
Male	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		—		21.3		21.5
Female	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		—		20.7		20.8
	Standard deviation5
Composite score, total	—	4.7	—	5.0	5.1	5.2	5.2	5.3	5.4	5.4		5.5		5.6		5.6
Sex
Male	—	4.9	5.0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		—		—		—
Female	—	4.6	4.7	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		—		—		—
Subject-area scores
English	—	5.5	—	6.1	6.3	6.4	6.5	6.5	6.5	6.6		6.7		6.8		6.9
Male	—	5.6	6.0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		—		—		—
Female	—	5.5	5.9	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		—		—		—
Mathematics	—	5.0	—	5.2	5.3	5.3	5.3	5.3	5.3	5.3		5.4		5.4		5.5
Male	—	5.2	5.3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		—		—		—
Female	—	4.8	4.8	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		—		—		—
Reading	—	6.1	—	6.1	6.2	6.2	6.2	6.2	6.3	6.3		6.4		6.5		6.6
Male	—	6.1	6.1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		—		—		—
Female	—	6.0	6.0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		—		—		—
Science	—	4.5	—	4.9	5.0	5.1	5.1	5.2	5.3	5.5		5.5		5.6		5.5
Male	—	4.8	4.9	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		—		—		—
Female	—	4.3	4.3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		—		—		—
STEM4	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		—		5.3		5.2
Male	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		—		—		—
Female	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		—		—		—
	Percent of ACT test takers
Composite score
28 or above	—	10	10	12	12	12	13	13	13	13		14		14		15
17 or below	—	25	26	26	27	28	28	28	30	30		30		32		31
Planned major field of study
Business6	13	11	9	11	12	11	10	9	9	9		9		9		9
Education7	8	9	6	6	7	7	6	6	5	5		5		4		4
Engineering8	8	8	6	7	8	8	8	8	9	9		10		10		10
Health sciences and technologies	—	17	16	17	19	20	19	19	19	19		18		17		17
Social sciences9	9	9	7	6	7	7	8	9	8	8		8		8		7

—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 2017 column shows test-taking members of the class of 2017 as a percentage of all 2016-17 high school graduates. Percentages were calculated by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) using NCES data on the total number of high school graduates.

2 Number of high school graduates is projected.

3 Minimum score is 1 and maximum score is 36.

4 The science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) score is derived from students' scores on the ACT mathematics and science tests. The STEM score was developed to gauge students' overall proficiency in mathematics and science.

5 Standard deviations not available for racial/ethnic groups.

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

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

8 Includes engineering as well as engineering technology and drafting.

9 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 2017. 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 2015; and National High School Graduates Projection Model, 1972-73 through 2027-28. (This table was prepared November 2017.)