Every year, millions of students take the ACT to demonstrate their readiness for college and career success. But what do their scores actually tell us about readiness, and how can educators use that data to improve outcomes? The answer lies in the backbone of ACT's research and assessments: the College Readiness Benchmarks and the College and Career Readiness Standards.
ACT College Readiness Benchmarks: predictor of college success
The ACT College Readiness Benchmarks are data-driven predictors that indicate how the ACT subject-specific skills translate into success in first-year college courses. Meeting these benchmarks means a student is likely prepared for college-level work in those subjects and represents the likelihood that a student will achieve at least a B (50% chance) or at least a C (approximately 75-80% chance) in related first-year college courses.
Current ACT benchmarks:
- English: 18
- Math: 22
- Reading: 22
- Science: 23
- STEM: 26
- ELA: 20
Key insights from ACT’s 2025 Graduating Class Release
This comprehensive annual data release is a snapshot of the nation’s most recent ACT-tested high school graduates. States and districts receive system-level graduating class reports that demonstrates their graduates’ preparedness for college and work. The findings confirm three critical opportunities for improvement and celebration:
- The College Readiness Gap: 30% of the 2025 ACT-tested graduating class met at least three ACT College Readiness Benchmarks. These students are twice as likely to enter college directly after high school and earn an undergraduate degree in a timely manner compared to those who do not meet any benchmarks. This data can be instrumental as states and districts inform curriculum to increase academic achievement levels.
- Demonstrating increased readiness through retakes: Looking at students who took the ACT more than once, while 30% of those students met at least three ACT Benchmarks on their first test attempt, significantly more of those students (53%) attained three or more Benchmarks on repeat attempts. Retesting later in their high school careers gives students the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of more critical postsecondary skills.
- A career-ready majority: 61% of 2025 ACT tested graduates are predicted to earn at least a Silver-level ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate. This nationally recognized workforce credential shows that a student has demonstrated the essential, foundational skills needed for career success.
The ACT College and Career Readiness Standards are empirically derived descriptions of the essential skills and knowledge students need to become ready for college and career, giving clear meaning to test scores and serving as a link between what students have learned and what they are ready to learn next.
Why they matter:
These Standards serve as a roadmap for students, parents, educators, and tutors. They link student learning to specific section scores, helping everyone understand exactly what skills need to be developed to reach a desired score. For example, if a student is aiming to score in the 20-23 range in Math, the Standards show exactly what knowledge and skills are needed to obtain that score. This information can inform instructional goals, curriculum development, and targeted tutoring.
How educators can use this information
Districts can use these insights to align instructional goals, track college readiness, and demonstrate measurable outcomes for accreditation or reporting, while higher ed admissions and student support teams can assess readiness probabilities and offer support where needed. Additionally, scholarship organizations can utilize this data as part of their applicant evaluation process.
- Educators & K12 systems:
- Analyze section scores to spot opportunities for curriculum updates and targeted support. Coursework can be supplemented with ACT Prep materials to build foundational academic skills relevant to both the ACT and college success.
- Utilize ACT’s College and Career Readiness Standards Workbook as a resource to help translate student scores into actionable strategies for classroom instruction and success.
- Reference the Standards to align classroom instruction with college-ready skills.
- Higher Ed:
- Consider ACT benchmark scores as indicators of a student’s potential level of success and matriculation.
- Encourage prospective students to utilize the ACT Readiness Standards and Benchmarks to retake the ACT by identifying areas of strength and areas that need improvement as a way of enhancing their holistic admissions package.
- Use the ACT Benchmarks and Standards for placement and support, ensuring students are set up for success from day one.
- Scholarship organizations
- Use the Standards for each subject score range to evaluate what skills a student has based on their earned scores, when awarding merit-based scholarships.
- Identify specific skills a student has excelled in based on their scores when awarding skill-based scholarships, such as STEM or ELA.
ACT College and Career Readiness Standards and Benchmarks work together to provide a clear picture of what students know, what they need to learn, and how ready they are for college and career success. By understanding and using these tools, states, districts, educators, and higher education institutions can make informed decisions and drive meaningful progress.