Average ACT Scores by State: Complete 2024 Breakdown

National ACT Score Averages for 2024

For the graduating class of 2024, the national average ACT composite score is 19.4 out of 36. About 1.37 million students took the ACT during the 2023-2024 testing year, making it one of the two dominant college entrance exams alongside the SAT.

Composite and Section-Level Averages

The composite score is the average of four section scores, each on a 1-36 scale. For the class of 2024, Reading has the highest national average at 20.1, while English has the lowest at 18.6. Notably, the national averages for Math (19.0) and Science (19.6) both fall below their respective college readiness benchmarks of 22 and 23.

How the National Average Has Changed

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the national ACT composite average hovered around 20.7. It dropped sharply for the classes of 2021 and 2022 as testing disruptions and school closures took their toll. The average has not recovered, settling at 19.4 for two consecutive years. Only 30% of 2024 ACT-tested students met three or four college readiness benchmarks, and just 20% of 2025 test takers met all four.

Highest and Lowest ACT Scores by State

ACT scores by state vary dramatically. The gap between the highest and lowest state averages is 9.5 points — but these rankings do not tell you which states have the best schools. They tell you which states have the most selective test-taking populations.

States With the Highest ACT Averages

Washington DC leads the nation with a 26.7 composite average, followed closely by California and Connecticut at 26.5 each. Massachusetts comes in at 26.0, and New York at 25.4. But there is a critical caveat: every one of these top performers has a participation rate below 20%. In California, just 3% of students take the ACT — the rest sit for the SAT. The students who do opt into the ACT in these states tend to be highly motivated, college-focused students, which inflates the average.

States With the Lowest ACT Averages

Nevada has the lowest average in the country at 17.2, followed by Arizona at 17.5, Oklahoma at 17.6, and Mississippi at 17.7. All of these states share one characteristic: 100% ACT participation. Every high school senior takes the test, regardless of whether they plan to attend college. This broader testing pool pulls the average down.

The Participation Rate Factor

There is a strong inverse relationship between a state's ACT participation rate and its average score. States where fewer students take the ACT report higher averages because the test-taking pool is self-selected — primarily ambitious, college-bound students. States where every student takes the test report lower averages because the full range of academic ability is represented.

Why Mandatory Testing States Score Lower

The single most important factor for understanding ACT state rankings is participation rate. When a state requires all students to take the ACT, the average score drops — not because the schools are worse, but because the testing population is fundamentally different.

Self-Selection Bias Explained

In states where the ACT is optional, students who choose to take it are overwhelmingly college-bound. They have studied for the test, care about their scores, and represent the upper end of academic performance. This self-selection inflates the state average.

In mandatory testing states, every student sits for the ACT regardless of whether they plan to attend a four-year college, community college, trade school, or enter the workforce directly. This broader population — including students who may have had no test preparation at all — naturally produces a lower average.

Which States Require the ACT

For the class of 2024, nine states mandated the ACT for all high school students: Alabama, Arizona, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Wyoming. Several others achieve near-universal testing rates — Montana at 97%, Arkansas and Nebraska at 95%, and Wisconsin at 94%.

Looking ahead, 21 states will provide free ACT testing to some or all high school juniors for the 2025-2026 school year. Some states use the ACT as their statewide accountability assessment, a practice that began when Illinois and Colorado contracted with ACT, Inc. in 2001 rather than creating their own assessment tests.

ACT Scores for 100% Participation States

To compare state-level ACT performance fairly, you need to look at states with similar participation rates. The nine states with 100% participation offer the best apples-to-apples comparison because every student is included — there is no self-selection bias distorting the averages.

How These States Compare to Each Other

Among the nine mandatory testing states, Wyoming leads with a 19.1 composite — nearly 2 points above the lowest-scoring state in this group, Nevada at 17.2. Tennessee ranks second at 18.8, followed by Kentucky at 18.4. The spread across these states reflects real differences in educational outcomes rather than testing population differences.

Section Score Breakdowns

Across all nine mandatory testing states, Reading consistently produces the highest section averages, while English produces the lowest. Wyoming is the only state in this group where every section average meets or approaches its national average. Nevada trails in every section, with its English average of 16.3 falling significantly below the national benchmark of 18.

College Readiness Benchmarks by State

Beyond raw scores, ACT reports whether students meet college readiness benchmarks — minimum scores that indicate a 50% chance of earning a B or higher in the corresponding first-year college course. These benchmarks offer a more actionable way to interpret ACT scores by state.

What the ACT Benchmarks Mean

ACT has established four subject-level benchmarks plus two composite benchmarks. A student who meets the English benchmark of 18, for example, is considered ready for college-level English Composition. The STEM benchmark of 26 signals readiness for calculus, chemistry, biology, physics, and engineering courses.

National Benchmark Achievement Rates

For the class of 2024, only 30% of ACT-tested students met three or four college readiness benchmarks. Meanwhile, 57% met at least one benchmark. The Math and Science benchmarks (22 and 23) are particularly challenging — both are higher than the national averages for those sections (19.0 and 19.6), meaning the average American ACT test-taker does not meet college readiness standards in math or science.

What Your State's ACT Average Means for You

If you are looking at your state's average ACT score and wondering how you stack up, here is the honest truth: the state average is probably the wrong number to compare yourself to.

Why State Averages Are a Poor Personal Benchmark

State averages are shaped by participation rates, demographic factors, and testing policies that have nothing to do with your individual performance. Scoring above your state's average in Nevada (17.2) means something very different from scoring above the average in Connecticut (26.5) — not because the students are different, but because the test-taking populations are.

A student in Alabama who scores a 24 is well above the state average of 18.0, but that does not necessarily make it a competitive score for selective colleges. Conversely, a student in Massachusetts who scores a 24 is below the state average of 26.0 but may still be perfectly competitive at many schools.

Better Ways to Evaluate Your Score

Instead of comparing to your state average, use these more useful benchmarks:

• Target college middle 50% ranges: Every college publishes the 25th-75th percentile ACT scores for admitted students. If your score falls within or above this range, you are competitive.
• ACT national percentiles: A 25 puts you at roughly the 79th percentile nationally, regardless of your state. Percentiles give you a universal measure.
• College readiness benchmarks: Meeting all four ACT benchmarks (English 18, Math 22, Reading 22, Science 23) signals academic preparedness regardless of where you live.
• Section scores: Your individual section scores reveal specific strengths and weaknesses that matter more for targeted improvement than any composite comparison.

Frequently Asked Questions