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Have you ever wondered how your ACT score compares with other test-takers in your state? Or how test-takers in your state match up against other states? Get your smack talk ready, because today, we are going to take a look at the average ACT score from each state. Feel free to scan the list and prepare to brag about how smart your state is, but also keep in mind that this is not an equal playing field (more on that later).

Average ACT Score by State, Graduating Class of 2021*

State

Estimated Percentage of Graduates Tested

Average Composite Score

National

35%

20.3

Alabama

100%

18.7

Kentucky

100%

19.2

Mississippi

100%

18.1

Nevada

100%

17.8

North Dakota

100%

19.6

Tennessee

100%

19.1

Arkansas

99%

19.0

Louisiana

98%

18.4

Wisconsin

96%

20.0

North Carolina

92%

18.9

Wyoming

91%

19.8

Nebraska

86%

20.0

Utah

86%

20.6

Ohio

85%

19.6

Kansas

79%

19.9

Montana

70%

20.4

Hawaii

67%

18.2

Missouri

63%

20.6

Minnesota

60%

21.6

Oklahoma

58%

19.7

South Dakota

55%

21.6

South Carolina

50%

18.6

Iowa

47%

21.5

Arizona

35%

19.8

Florida

34%

20.4

West Virginia

30%

20.8

Georgia

24%

22.6

New Mexico

23%

20.7

Texas

23%

20.1

Oregon

20%

20.6

District of Columbia

19%

25.6

Illinois

19%

25.2

Alaska

16%

20.6

Colorado

16%

23.6

Idaho

16%

23

Indiana

14%

23.1

New Jersey

12%

25.1

Connecticut

9%

27.2

Michigan

9%

25.1

New York

9%

26.3

Virginia

9%

25.5

Maryland

8%

25.5

Massachusetts

7%

27.6

Pennsylvania

7%

25

Washington

7%

23.6

California

5%

26.1

Delaware

5%

25.7

New Hampshire

4%

26.6

Rhode Island

4%

25.8

Vermont

4%

24.7

Maine

2%

25.6

So, what’s missing?

Before you become too proud (or ashamed) of your state’s performance, we should clarify a few things. Unless you’re from Rhode Island – you live in the smallest state and you don’t get enough love, go ahead and celebrate that 25.8 average score. You beat the national average by over five points. You’ve earned this!

There are several details this chart does not share. First, we do not know how many of these students are testing for the first time, and how many students have previously taken the ACT. Also, we cannot be sure what grade the students were in when they took the test. While the survey focused on the graduating class of 2021, it does not specify how many students took the test as seniors, juniors, sophomores, or perhaps even younger. Many states provide tests for high school juniors, but this is not a nationwide mandate.

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Finally, there is an elephant in the room. How was each state’s average ACT score affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic?

ACT Covid-19 Update

2021 vs 2020

Click here to see the 2020 numbers provided by the ACT.

Many states saw a significant drop in the percentage of students who tested in 2021 compared to the number of test-takers in 2020. The sharpest drop was in Oklahoma (42%), which fell from 100% participation in 2020 to 58% in 2021. There were also noteworthy drops in Arizona (36%), New Mexico (33%), South Carolina (26%), Oregon (22%) and Iowa (21%). No state posted a higher percentage of test-takers in 2021 than in 2020. Also, the national average of test-takers dropped from 49% in 2020 to 35% in 2021.

Although the national average score dropped from 20.6 in 2020 to 20.3 in 2021, no state saw a significant drop in their own average. The largest decline was in Kansas, where the average score was 20.4 in 2020 among 82% of students who tested and dropped to 19.9 in 2021 with 79% of students testing.

On the other hand, we saw a few states take big leaps in 2021.  While not technically a state (sorry, point of contention for some, I know), DC deserves to lead off the conversation, raising their average score from 23.1 in 2020 to 25.6 in 2021. Other notable movers are Maryland (23.8 in 2020, 25.5 in 2021), Massachusetts (26 in 2020, 27.6 in 2021), and Delaware (24.2 in 2020, 25.7 in 2021). Glad we got to mention Delaware this early on – the first state too often flies under the radar.

While the drop in average ACT score by state, as well as the overall percentage of test-takers, has been a recent trend, the pandemic certainly accelerated the decline. In 2019, the average composite ACT score was 20.7, with 55% of students testing. 2018 also saw 55% of students take the test, with an average nationwide score of 20.8. Without a pandemic, we still may have seen a decline in the 2020 numbers, but what we ended up witnessing was more alarming than anyone could have expected.

How to Use This Chart

You probably noticed right away that some states have a higher percentage of test-takers than other states. One reason is that several states mandate ACT testing for all high-school students, while other states offer the test for free without requiring students to take it. These states may offer additional resources for students such as study tools, practice tests, and discounted rates. You can learn more about your state’s ACT partnership here.

With this in mind, if you plan to use this chart to make comparisons, the best way to do so is to compare the average score from a state against another state that registered a similar percentage of test-takers. For example, I live in Oklahoma, where 58% of 2021 graduates took the ACT. If I wanted to see how Oklahoma compared to another state, I might look at Minnesota (60%) or South Dakota (55%) – both of which scored nearly two points higher on average. That wasn’t the result I hoped for, so maybe I can compare Oklahoma to Hawaii (67%) instead. There are plenty of similarities between Oklahoma and Hawaii, after all. Hawaii scored 18.2 on average, so at least we came away with one win. Maybe this is the beginning of a new rivalry?

Anyways, enough about Oklahoma. Time to talk about some other states.

student writing on paper with pencil

The Perfect Attendance Award: States with 100% Participation

There were six states that boasted 100% (estimated) participation in the ACT: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nevada, North Dakota, and Tennessee. Of these states, North Dakota had the highest average score (19.6), while Nevada posted the lowest (17.8).

We should not make too much out of these states having a lower average score than others. Actually, this is to be expected. Essentially, as the number of test-takers increases, the average score decreases. In a state that mandates ACT testing, you will have many students testing with no plans to go to college, or who don’t need a strong ACT score to apply for the college of their choice. These students will be less motivated to prepare for the test and to think critically about their answers on test day.

So inside of this particular category, what sets these states apart? For the sake of this exercise, we will just look at North Dakota and Nevada, as the high and low scorers. Both states have traditionally required the ACT (with the writing portion) for all high school juniors, although North Dakota will no longer pay for all juniors to take the ACT as of the 2021-2022 school year (more on that here). A major difference between the two states is the overall population – Nevada has over 3 million residents while only around 750,000 people live in North Dakota. Again, as the number of test-takers in your state goes up, the average ACT score in your state usually goes down.

The Team Players: States with More Than 75% Participation (but not 100%)

In addition to these six states, there were nine other states where at least 75% of students took the ACT: Arkansas, Louisiana, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Wyoming, Nebraska, Utah, Ohio, and Kansas. Among this group, Utah had the highest average score of 20.6, while Louisiana finished at the bottom with 18.4. Because I love Cajun food and do not want to offend any of my friends in Louisiana, I should point out that 4.6 million people live in Louisiana, while only 3.2 million people live in Utah. This, in addition to 98% of students testing in Louisiana compared to 86% in Utah, may contribute to the disparity in average test scores.

I find it interesting that in each state, the percentage of students testing is high, but not quite 100%. In fact, all but one state (Kansas) had 100% participation in 2020. There were likely special exceptions and allowances made in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As for Kansas, I mentioned earlier that 82% of Kansas students tested in 2020 compared to 79% in 2021. High school juniors in Kansas are not required to take the test, but the state recommends they do and provides free or discounted ACT tests for many students.

Overall, in this category, the average scores by each state are fairly similar to states with 100% participation. This isn’t surprising given the large number of test-takers and the similar requirements around who takes the ACT, and when.

four students working at desks

The Solid Contributors: States with More Than 50% Participation (but less than 75%)

Next on the list are seven states (Montana, Hawaii, Missouri, Minnesota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and South Carolina) that recorded participation between 50% and 75%. Minnesota and South Dakota tied for the highest average score in this group at 21.6. Overall, 22 out of the 50 states recorded at least 50% of their students taking the ACT, and five of these 22 states listed an average ACT score in their state that exceeds the national average of 20.3: Utah (20.6), Montana (20.4), Missouri (20.6), Minnesota (21.6), and South Dakota (21.6). If we broaden the criteria slightly to include a state that barely missed the 50% cut-off, Iowa also averaged a 21.5 with 47% of students testing.

In all likelihood, these are states where the ACT is not required but preferred by in-state schools. These schools may be more likely to provide ACT testing opportunities for students on campus. Three of these states (Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Iowa) typically have many more students testing, but each state saw participation drop at least 20% from 2020 to 2021. In fact, Oklahoma was at 100% in 2020 and saw the number drop both because of pandemic-related allowances as well as statewide budget cuts.

Welcome to Massachusetts

The Standout Performers: States who Scored the Highest

The state with the overall highest average score, regardless of percentage, was Massachusetts (27.6). Connecticut (27.2) and New Hampshire (26.6) were not too far behind. If you’re from New England, you’re feeling pretty good right now (let’s give Rhode Island another shoutout with their 25.8, and Vermont also deserves some attention with their 24.7). I should mention that none of these states had more than 10% of students take the test (Connecticut was the highest at 9%).

In states with lower percentages of test-takers, the numbers likely represent highly ambitious students who want to make their college applications further stand out with a high ACT score, or who are looking to apply for a school that prefers the ACT over the SAT.

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Among the fourteen states where less than 10% of students took the ACT, the lowest average comes from the state of Washington (23.6), and they still beat the national average by more than three points. The second-lowest average score among this group comes from the state of Vermont (24.7), more than four points above the national average.

The Participation Award (Let’s Not Forget These States)

As for the remaining fourteen states, where between 10% and 50% of students took the ACT, the results are a mixed bag. The average ACT score by these states was 22.2, almost two points higher than the national average. The star of the show, at least among this group, was Washington D.C., with an average score of 25.6. Not far behind was Illinois at 25.2.

I’m not here to point fingers or assign blame, but Arizona (19.8) didn’t help this average, finishing with the lowest average among states with less than 50% of students testing. Ironically, Arizona also has the same percentage of students testing as the national average (35%), but with an average score that is half a point lower.

Population Density in CA
Even though only 5% of high school students in California took the ACT, that still represents a large number of tests!

Some Other Interesting Numbers

While only 5% of students in California took the ACT, California is the most heavily populated state in the country (39.51 million as of 2019). Obviously, this number represents a much wider demographic than just high-school-aged students, but it does make their average score of 26.1 appear more impressive than it may have at first glance, especially when you compare them with Texas, the #2 most populated state in the union (29 million as of 2019), where 20% of testing students averaged a score of 20.1.

Another state that caught my eye was Wisconsin. 96% of students in Wisconsin tested (they have required the test for high school juniors since the 2014-2015 school year). Still, they achieved an average score of 20.0, only 3/10ths of a point behind the national average. Apparently, cheese isn’t the only thing that Wisconsin does well.

Lastly, let’s focus on Alaska for a moment. It’s easy to forget that Alaska is up there. I’m sure it’s easy for them to feel left out. While they didn’t have the highest average score (20.6) or the largest percentage of test-takers (16%), they did beat the national average ACT score. In other words, Alaska is an above-average state – one I hope I eventually get to visit.

College Readiness Benchmarks

In addition to providing the average score by each state, and the statewide percentage of test-takers, the ACT also publishes “College Readiness Benchmarks” for each state. This is their method of predicting “reasonable success” for students in certain college courses based on their ACT scores. The number listed is the percentage of test-takers who have a 50% chance of earning a B, or a 75% chance of earning a C, in the subject field where they tested. While this certainly is not a guarantee, it’s an interesting thought exercise.

Typically, students have the best chance of being “college-ready” in English and reading. The national averages were 56% in English, and 44% in reading. As you can imagine, based on their overall average scores, Massachusetts and Connecticut once again rise to the top of these rankings. 92% of students in both states met the benchmark for English. Massachusetts has the slight edge in reading at 83%, compared to Connecticut’s 82%.

Students tend to struggle more in math (36%) and science (35%). Massachusetts once again leads the pack (81% in math and 79% in science), while Mississippi has the lowest percentages of 18% in math and 19% in science. Overall, 28 states (and the District of Columbia) met or exceeded all four national averages, while 17 states fell short of all four. Interestingly, Montana was on par with all but one of the national averages – they scored one percentage point higher in science, and that was the only (minor) difference.

What do we do with this information?

While it’s interesting to look at the average ACT score by each state, ultimately it’s not going to help you raise your own score. After all, you’re competing against yourself, not against your state or another state. That being said, there are a few things here that are worth noticing:

  1. How does your score compare with your home state’s average? College recruiters may look at these numbers as they compare your ACT scores to other applicants’ scores. If you’re from Georgia, for example, where the average ACT score is 22.6, you would prefer to score a 23 or higher to stand out above other applicants.
  2. If you are applying to an out-of-state school, how does your score compare with that state’s average? It’s helpful to know how you stack up against in-state applicants. If you’re in Tennessee, but planning to apply at the University of Alabama, you should take note that the average ACT score in Alabama is 18.7. (However, you will also want to keep in mind that the average ACT score of a student admitted to the University of Alabama is a 27).
  3. How do these numbers impact the goals you set for yourself? Ultimately, your personal goals for your ACT score should not depend on how well your state (or other states) are performing, but it can be a helpful metric to consider and a standard to motivate you.

These are good questions to ask yourself, but the most important question remains the same. What are you doing to achieve your best score? At TestGeek, we want to help you reach that potential, and we can provide the tools, training, and tutors to help you get there.

Brady Ross

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