Illinois Students’ ACT Score Ranks Highest Among States That Administer the ACT Statewide

Growing number of Illinois students are considered college ready in individual subject areas

SPRINGFIELD, IL — Illinois students are tied for the highest composite ACT score among the 13 states that administer the ACT test statewide.  The Class of 2015 achieved an average composite score of 20.7, tying with Colorado’s graduating class and showing steady progress in meeting ACT’s College Readiness Benchmarks, according to “The Condition of College & Career Readiness 2015.”

“Illinois has been a longtime leader in helping students realize their college potential by providing all 11^th-graders access to college entrance exams,” said State Superintendent of Education Tony Smith, Ph.D.

Illinois’ graduating seniors show continued gains in the percentage of students who meet each of the four ACT College Readiness Benchmark Scores in English, math, reading, and science:

A benchmark score is the minimum score needed on an ACT subject-area test to indicate a 50 percent chance of earning a B or higher or about a 75 percent chance of obtaining a C or higher in a corresponding credit-bearing college course. These courses include English composition, algebra, social science, and biology.

In Illinois, Hispanic students represented 22 percent of graduates meeting three or more College Readiness Benchmarks in 2015, compared to 18 percent in 2011. African American graduates represented 12 percent of graduates meeting three or more benchmarks in 2015, compared to 10 percent in 2011.

Illinois maintained the same composite score of 20.7 from 2014 to 2015, which falls slightly below the national average score of 21. The national average is based primarily on the scores of self-selected, college-bound students. In Illinois, every 11^th-grader was required to take the ACT as part of the Prairie State Achievement Exam (PSAE) from 2001 to 2014. The Class of 2015 was the last graduating class to take the PSAE during their junior year.  ACT research shows that testing more than a college-bound population is associated with lower overall composite scores.

The ACT is scored on a scale of 1 to 36, with 36 being the highest possible score. Today’s results represent the latest scores achieved by all Illinois 2015 graduates in both public and private schools.