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 2023

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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 2023
Score type and test-taker characteristic	1995		2000		2005		2009		2010		2011	2012	2013	2014		2015		2016		2017		2018		2019	2020		2021		2022		2023
1	2		3		4		5		6		7	8	9	10		11		12		13		14		15	16		17		18		19
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		1,350		1,386
Percent of all graduates¹	38		38		38		44		46		47	48	52	53	²	54	²	58	²	56	²	51	²	48	45	²	35	²	36	²	37	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		19.8		19.5
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		19.7		19.4
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		20.0		19.7
Race/ethnicity
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		16.4		16.0
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		24.7		24.2
Pacific Islander	---		---		---		---		---		19.5	19.8	19.5	18.6		18.8		18.6		18.4		18.2		17.9	17.5		17.2		17.1		16.3
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		16.1		16.0
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		17.7		17.4
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		21.3		21.0
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		20.1		19.8
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		19.0		18.6
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		18.5		18.2
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		19.6		19.2
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		19.3		19.0
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		19.7		19.4
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		19.1		18.8
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		20.4		20.1
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		20.0		19.7
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		20.9		20.6
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		19.9		19.6
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		20.0		19.8
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		19.9		19.6
STEM⁴	---		---		---		---		---		---	21.3	21.1	21.1		21.1		20.9		21.1		20.9		20.7	20.6		20.4		19.9		19.6
Male	---		---		---		---		---		---	---	---	---		---		21.3		21.5		21.2		---	20.9		20.8		20.1		19.9
Female	---		---		---		---		---		---	---	---	---		---		20.7		20.8		20.7		---	20.5		20.3		19.7		19.4
	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		5.9		5.9
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		7.1		7.0
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		5.6		5.5
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		7.1		7.0
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		5.9		5.8
STEM⁴	---		---		---		---		---		---	---	---	---		---		5.3		5.2		5.4		---	5.6		5.6		5.5		5.4
	Percent of ACT test takers
Composite score
28 or above	---		10		10		12		12		13	13	13	13		14		14		15		15		---	15		14		12		11
17 or below	---		25		26		27		28		28	28	30	30		30		32		31		34		---	36		38		42		44
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		6		8
Education	8	⁷	9	⁷	6	⁷	7	⁷	7	⁷	6	6	5	5		5		4		4		4		---	3		2		2		2
Engineering⁸	8		8		6		8		8		8	8	9	9		10		10		10		8		---	7		6		4		6
Health sciences and technologies⁹	---		17		16		19		20		19	19	19	19		18		17		17		16		---	13		12		8		11
Social sciences¹⁰	9		9		7		7		7		8	9	8	8		8		8		7		7		---	6		5		3		5
---Not available
¹Members of the graduating class who had taken the ACT test as a percentage of all students who graduated in that school year. The total percentage for the United States was calculated by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) based on NCES projections of the total number of U.S. high school graduates.
²Number of high school graduates is projected.
³Minimum score is 1 and maximum score is 36.
⁴The 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.
⁵Standard deviations not available for racial/ethnic groups or for sex.
⁶Includes business and management, business and office, and marketing and distribution.
⁷Includes education and teacher education.
⁸Includes engineering as well as engineering technology and drafting.
⁹Includes health sciences and technologies as well as health administration and assisting.
¹⁰Includes 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. Some data have been revised from previously published figures.
SOURCE: ACT, High School Profile Report, selected years, 1995 through 2023. 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 2021; and National High School Graduates Projection Model, through 2031-32. (This table was prepared December 2023.)

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