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IOWA CITY, Iowa — A record-high 78% of ACT exam takers who graduated in 2024 tested through State and District programs that provide school-day testing at no cost to students, according to new data released by ACT.

“Every student deserves to understand their readiness for life after high school,” ACT CEO Janet Godwin said. “When students are able to test during the school day at no cost to them, it opens doors to postsecondary, scholarship, and career opportunities for many students who didn’t know that college could be an option. These states, districts, and schools are removing barriers and helping ensure students remain steadfast on their paths from high school to college and career — and are helping strengthen their communities in the process.”

ACT — the mission-driven provider of assessments, research, and work-ready credentials — has partnerships with state departments of education and local school districts that have helped increase the number of students who participate in school-day testing. These programs help remove financial and access barriers and help students understand their potential for success in college.

“Since 2014, Alabama has ensured that every student has the opportunity to take the ACT,” said Dr. Eric Mackey, state superintendent of the Alabama State Department of Education. “We celebrate the strides we've made in reducing barriers to testing, which has helped open doors for countless students to either pursue postsecondary education or enter the workforce — whatever path they feel is right for them. Although we’ve made progress, we’re committed to addressing the remaining challenges and ensuring every student has the opportunity to get a holistic view of their college and career readiness.”

While the percentage of students testing during the school day grew in comparison to self-selected weekend testing, average scores remained steady. The national average ACT Composite score for the high school class of 2024 — students who were freshmen during the first full year of COVID-19 learning disruptions — was 19.4, comparable to the 19.5 average for the class of 2023.

Additionally, 30% of 2024 high school graduates met three or four of ACT’s College Readiness Benchmarks in English, math, reading, and science, while 57% met one or more benchmark. Students who meet the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks have a roughly 50% chance of earning a B or better in the corresponding first-year college courses and a roughly 75% chance of earning a C or better.

ACT data from prior graduating classes shows that 84% of students who have met all four benchmarks graduate with postsecondary degrees within six years. Only 38% of students who meet zero benchmarks and 56% of students meeting one benchmark graduate in that time.

Additional Research Findings:

• Roughly 1.4 million high school seniors took the ACT test, comparable to last year’s total.
• The average ACT Superscore, which is the average of a student’s best scores from each section across multiple test attempts, was 19.9.
• Twenty-six percent of PreACT test takers who said they didn’t plan to attend college ended up enrolling.
• Fifty-eight percent of high schoolers who took the ACT WorkKeys assessment from 2022-2024 qualified for the ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate at a Silver level or higher, meaning they demonstrated essential foundational skills for the majority of jobs in the U.S.

About the Data

The data released include ACT test score results from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, including 23 states with required or optional statewide school-day testing programs. View the data using the data visualization tool.

About ACT

ACT is transforming college and career readiness pathways so that everyone can discover and fulfill their potential. Grounded in more than 65 years of educational research, ACT’s assessments, learning resources, and work-ready credentials are trusted by students, job seekers, educators, schools, government agencies, and employers in the U.S. and around the world to help people achieve their education and career goals at every stage of life. Visit us at www.act.org.  

Contact: Allie Ciaramella;  allie.ciaramella@act.org

To commemorate their journeys from application to graduation, ACT has invited these scholars to share their stories. Jennifer Bui is a first-generation Asian American college student at Kirkwood Community College, pursuing an Associate Degree in Nursing. Following her graduation in spring 2025, she plans to pursue her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Iowa with hopes to one day achieve her dream job of becoming a nurse practitioner.

Who was your motivation for going to college?

My parents are my biggest motivation to go to college. I always knew that I wanted to go to college, but with my parents' support and motivation to excel in school, it made me want to go to college even more and get a degree in the major of my choosing. Having two immigrant parents and seeing how hard they worked to support me made me want to go to college and get an education because I was put in a position to be able to.

What are you currently studying? What degree do you hope to earn?

I’m currently finishing up my prerequisite courses to enter the nursing program and obtain an Associate Degree in Nursing at Kirkwood. After that, I plan on furthering my education at the University of Iowa and obtaining my Bachelor of Science in Nursing and going back to school to become a nurse practitioner.

Why did you select this area of study?

I selected the medical field – specifically nursing – because I've always known I wanted to be something in the medical field. In high school, I obtained my certified nursing assistant license and realized that I wanted to be a nurse and help people.

Who inspired or supported you in your college-going journey?

My parents supported me, but my aunt inspired me and showed me that college is possible. Seeing my aunt go to college and go through her own journey and the hardships she faced but persevered through inspired me at a young age, making me want to go to college and be a first-generation college student.

What was the biggest challenge you faced as a college student and how are you working to overcome it?

My biggest challenge as a college student would be time management. Finding a balance between my personal and school life has helped a lot with time management and self-discipline.

What advice would you give to a first-generation college student today?

Keep on going and enjoy the time you are at college. Joining new clubs, making friends, and excelling in your schoolwork are all things that are beneficial and something all college students should try to achieve.

What goals have you set for yourself? How do you plan to achieve them?

My main goals are to excel in school and graduate from Kirkwood and the University of Iowa and get my degrees. I hope to achieve this by getting better at self-discipline and time management.

What does this ACT scholarship mean to you?

The ACT scholarship means a lot to me and I'm very appreciative and grateful to have been awarded this scholarship. This scholarship has helped me with the financial burdens that can come with college and has helped me to further my education.

By: Jasen Jones, program director, Workforce Strategies and National Partnerships

U.S. residents who identify as Latino – or Hispanic, Chicano, Latinx, or other parts of this broad community – have the highest labor force participation rate of any racial group in the nation and are projected to represent one in five workers by 2031. Because of the size and potential of this population, it’s critical to fully engage these workers and leaders, particularly as employers face continued skill shortages in nearly every labor category.

In the lead-up to Hispanic Heritage Month and the 2024 ACT Workforce Summit, I had an enlightening discussion with Deborah Santiago, CEO and co-founder of Excelencia in Education. ACT has a longstanding partnership with Excelencia, which is celebrating 20 years of service as the premier source of information on accelerating Latino student success in higher education to enhance our workforce, leadership, and economy. Our conversation touched on such timely topics as stackable credentials, providing services for career advancement, and connecting Latino talent to employers.

“It feels like sometimes we're kind of a hidden gem in our workforce environment,” Santiago says. “In this challenging environment, when we have a dearth of the workforce that we need, let's meet this Latino community – all communities – where they're at, and be a partner with these communities in ways that advance into to higher wages, livable wages, so that this community can flourish and all of our communities can flourish.”

Listen to the podcast to learn:

• What Excelencia research says about where Latinos are earning degrees, and how employers can reach these graduates to ensure they are equitably represented across all levels of the U.S. workforce, including ownership, management, and high-wage opportunities.
• How to debunk common myths about the Latino workforce.
• The importance of partnerships across businesses, colleges, and other segments of the workforce ecosystem in meeting employer demand.
• The secret ingredient to effective community-based organizations and services.
• How a training program at one of the largest and most diverse colleges in the U.S. achieved a 100% job placement rate, and other lessons for employers from the 39 institutions to receive the Seal of Excelencia, a certification recognizing colleges and universities that are intentionally serving Latino students.

Additional links:

Find more episodes of the ACT Ready for Work podcast.

Access ACT Workforce Solutions.

Learn about the 2024 ACT Workforce Summit happening Oct. 2-4 in Atlanta.