Condition of College and Career Readiness 2017

ACT is committed to providing meaningful data to students, parents, schools, districts, and states so that all can make more informed decisions to improve outcomes.

• More than 2 million US high school graduates (2,030,038) took the ACT test. That’s 60% of the entire US graduating class.
• Among 2017 graduates, 39 percent met the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks in at least three of the four core subject areas tested (English, math, reading, and science).
• Underserved students (defined as students who are minority, low-income and/or first-generation college students), represent 46% of the 2017 ACT graduating class. Research suggests students who meet any of these underserved criteria are less likely than others to have access to high-quality educational and career planning opportunities and resources.
• The majority of underserved students—including 81% of those who meet all three underserved criteria—achieve only one or none of the four ACT benchmarks. These students are likely to struggle in college-level coursework.
• The national average ACT composite score for the 2017 graduating class rose to 21.0 on a 1 to 36 scale, returning to 2014 and 2015 levels after dropping to 20.8 last year.