Minnesota Students Get Top ACT Scores

For the second year in a row, Minnesota students turned in the best overall ACT performance in the nation.

The 67 per cent of Minnesota secondary school graduates who took the ACT had an average composite score of 22.3. The national average was 21.1.

Iowa and Wisconsin students ran a close second to their Minnesota peers. The average score for Wisconsin students was 22.2, and for Iowa students it was 22.1.

Several states reported even higher average ACT composite scores than Minnesota did. Connecticut students scored an average of 23.1, Massachusetts students scored an average of 23.0, and Washington students scored an average of 22.9. In those states, however, only a small minority of high school graduates took the ACT -- 12 per cent in Connecticut, 13 per cent in Massachusetts, and 15 per cent in Washington.

Illinois and Colorado are the two states where all high school graduates are required to take the ACT. Their students' average scores were 20.5 (in Illinois) and 20.3 (in Colorado).

Outside of Illinois and Colorado, the states where the highest percentage of students took the ACT were Tennessee (93 per cent), Mississippi (93 per cent), and North Dakota (80 per cent). The states with the lowest ACT registration were Delaware (5 per cent), Rhode Island (8 per cent), and New Jersey (8 per cent).

Sources:

"Minnesota Again Tops Nation on ACT Exams" - The Associated Press, August 16, 2006, as carried on the website of KARE-11 (Minneapolis - St. Paul)

"2006 Average ACT Scores By State" - table posted to ACT website