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 2021

Score type and test-taker characteristic	1995		2000		2005		2009		2010		2011	2012	2013	2014		2015		2016		2017		2018		2019		2020		2021
1	2		3		4		5		6		7	8	9	10		11		12		13		14		15		16		17
Total test takers
Number (in thousands)	945		1,065		1,186		1,480		1,569		1,623	1,666	1,799	1,846		1,924		2,090		2,030		1,915		1,783		1,670		1,295
Percent of all graduates1	38		38		38		44		46		47	48	52	53	2	55	2	58	2	56	2	52	2	49	2	46	2	35	2
	Average test score3
Composite score, total	20.8		21.0		20.9		21.1		21.0		21.1	21.1	20.9	21.0		21.0		20.8		21.0		20.8		20.7		20.6		20.3
Sex
Male	21.0		21.2		21.1		21.3		21.2		21.2	21.2	20.9	21.1		21.1		20.9		21.0		20.8		---		20.5		20.3
Female	20.7		20.9		20.9		20.9		20.9		21.0	21.0	20.9	20.9		21.0		20.9		21.1		20.9		---		20.8		20.6
Race/ethnicity
White	---		21.8		21.9		22.2		22.3		22.4	22.4	22.2	22.3		22.4		22.2		22.4		22.2		22.1		22.0		21.7
Black	---		17.0		17.0		16.9		16.9		17.0	17.0	16.9	17.0		17.1		17.0		17.1		16.9		16.8		16.7		16.3
Hispanic	---		---		18.6		18.7		18.6		18.7	18.9	18.8	18.8		18.9		18.7		18.9		18.8		18.7		18.5		18.3
Asian/Pacific Islander	---		21.7		22.1		23.2		23.4		---	---	---	---		---		---		---		---		---		---
Asian	---		---		---		---		---		23.6	23.6	23.5	23.5		23.9		24.0		24.3		24.5		24.6		24.9		24.9
Pacific Islander	---		---		---		---		---		19.5	19.8	19.5	18.6		18.8		18.6		18.4		18.2		17.9		17.5		17.2
American Indian/Alaska Native	---		19.0		18.7		18.9		19.0		18.6	18.4	18.0	18.0		17.9		17.7		17.5		17.3		17.0		16.7		16.9
Two or more races	---		---		---		---		---		21.1	21.4	21.1	21.2		21.2		21.0		21.2		21.1		21.0		20.9		20.6
Subject-area scores
English	20.2		20.5		20.4		20.6		20.5		20.6	20.5	20.2	20.3		20.4		20.1		20.3		20.2		20.1		19.9		19.6
Male	19.8		20.0		20.0		20.2		20.1		20.2	20.2	19.8	20.0		20.0		19.8		19.9		19.7		---		19.3		19.1
Female	20.6		20.9		20.8		20.9		20.8		20.9	20.9	20.6	20.7		20.8		20.6		20.8		20.7		---		20.5		20.2
Mathematics	20.2		20.7		20.7		21.0		21.0		21.1	21.1	20.9	20.9		20.8		20.6		20.7		20.5		20.4		20.2		19.9
Male	20.9		21.4		21.3		21.6		21.6		21.6	21.7	21.4	21.4		21.3		21.0		21.2		20.9		---		20.6		20.4
Female	19.7		20.2		20.2		20.4		20.5		20.6	20.6	20.5	20.5		20.4		20.3		20.4		20.2		---		20.0		19.7
Reading	21.3		21.4		21.3		21.4		21.3		21.3	21.3	21.1	21.3		21.4		21.3		21.4		21.3		21.2		21.2		20.9
Male	21.1		21.2		21.0		21.3		21.1		21.1	21.2	20.9	21.1		21.2		21.0		21.2		21.0		---		20.8		20.6
Female	21.4		21.5		21.5		21.4		21.4		21.4	21.4	21.4	21.5		21.6		21.6		21.8		21.7		---		21.6		21.5
Science	21.0		21.0		20.9		20.9		20.9		20.9	20.9	20.7	20.8		20.9		20.8		21.0		20.7		20.6		20.6		20.4
Male	21.6		21.6		21.4		21.4		21.4		21.4	21.4	21.2	21.2		21.3		21.1		21.3		20.9		---		20.7		20.6
Female	20.5		20.6		20.5		20.4		20.5		20.5	20.5	20.4	20.5		20.6		20.6		20.8		20.6		---		20.5		20.4
STEM4	---		---		---		---		---		---	21.3	21.1	21.1		21.1		20.9		21.1		20.9		20.7		20.6		20.4
Male	---		---		---		---		---		---	---	---	---		---		21.3		21.5		21.2		---		20.9		20.8
Female	---		---		---		---		---		---	---	---	---		---		20.7		20.8		20.7		---		20.5		20.3
	Standard deviation5
Composite score, total	---		4.7		---		5.1		5.2		5.2	5.3	5.4	5.4		5.5		5.6		5.6		5.8		---		6.0		6.0
Subject-area scores
English	---		5.5		---		6.3		6.4		6.5	6.5	6.5	6.6		6.7		6.8		6.9		7.0		---		7.2		7.2
Mathematics	---		5.0		---		5.3		5.3		5.3	5.3	5.3	5.3		5.4		5.4		5.5		5.5		---		5.7		5.7
Reading	---		6.1		---		6.2		6.2		6.2	6.2	6.3	6.3		6.4		6.5		6.6		6.8		---		7.1		7.2
Science	---		4.5		---		5.0		5.1		5.1	5.2	5.3	5.5		5.5		5.6		5.5		5.7		---		5.9		5.9
STEM4	---		---		---		---		---		---	---	---	---		---		5.3		5.2		5.4		---		5.6		5.6
	Percent of ACT test takers
Composite score
28 or above	---		10		10		12		12		13	13	13	13		14		14		15		15		---		15		14
17 or below	---		25		26		27		28		28	28	30	30		30		32		31		34		---		36		38
Planned major field of study
Business	13	6	11	6	9	6	12	6	11	6	10	9	9	9		9		9		9		8		---		8		7
Education	8	7	9	7	6	7	7	7	7	7	6	6	5	5		5		4		4		4		---		3		2
Engineering8	8		8		6		8		8		8	8	9	9		10		10		10		8		---		7		6
Health sciences and technologies	---		17		16		19		20		19	19	19	19		18		17		17		16		---		13		12
Social sciences9	9		9		7		7		7		8	9	8	8		8		8		7		7		---		6		5

---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 2021 column shows test-taking members of the class of 2021 as a percentage of all 2020-21 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 or for sex.

6 Includes business and management, business and office, and marketing and distribution.

7 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 in this table represent the 50 states and the District of Columbia. 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.

SOURCE: ACT, High School Profile Report, selected years, 1995 through 2021. 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 2019; and National High School Graduates Projection Model, through 2030-31. (This table was prepared December 2021.)