ACT Test Scores for US Students Drop to 30-Year Low

Students’ scores across the country were already in free fall, but the trend rapidly accelerated during COVID-19 lockdowns.

A Redwood High School senior watches a video screen presentation during a drive-in graduation ceremony at the Marin County Fairgrounds in San Francisco, California, on June 12, 2020. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

High school students’ scores on the ACT college admissions test have dropped to their lowest in more than three decades, according to the nonprofit organization that administers the exam.

The ACT data released on Oct. 10, show about 1.4 million students took the test this year, an increase from last year, but the average ACT composite score was lower than last year at 19.5 out of 36.