NC falls below national average for ACT scores in 2024. Is there actually a good reason?
North Carolina ranked below the national average in graduate ACT scores in 2024, new data show. However, officials say that doesn’t tell the whole story.
The ACT is a standardized test used widely for college admissions alongside the SAT. It is split into four main skill areas: English, reading, math and science.
Around 1.4 million students around the country took the ACT who graduated in 2024, including 105,145 North Carolinians. The national average was 19.4, out of a maximum possible 36 points. The average among North Carolina test takers was 18.5.
However, North Carolina is one of a limited number of states that provides free ACT testing during the school day for students, meaning it has a higher percentage of student participation than all but 13 other states. Around 89% of 2024 high school graduates in North Carolina took the ACT at some point in 10th, 11th or 12th grade.
“When a state tests close to its full percentage of graduates, then we’re really able to get a big picture of all students in the state, as opposed to a state with a small percentage of students testing, where averages will often look very high,” Rose Babington, senior director of strategic initiatives at ACT told The Charlotte Observer.
Babington says states with small sample sizes often show higher averages, since the testing pool itself is skewed.
“That’s only reflecting a very small group of self-selected students who are testing on their own on the weekend, as opposed to a state like North Carolina, which offers all students the opportunity to test,” she said.
In states that don’t offer school-day testing, the ACT costs students a minimum of $63 and a few hours on the weekend. So in those states, the pool of test takers is limited to those who have the money, time and transportation to take the test. They’re also usually students who intend to apply to college in the first place.
For example, in neighboring Virginia, the average ACT score was 24.8 for 2024 grads, over six points higher than NC. However, only 8% of Virginia graduates took the test. The states with the highest ACT average for 2024 graduates were Connecticut and California, which each had an average score of 26.5. They also had participation rates of just 8% and 3%, respectively.
Among states where 75% of graduates or more took the test, North Carolina was right in the middle, matching the average score of 18.5.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
ACT scores in CMS outpaced the state average the last few years but fell short of the national average.
The state hasn’t released the ACT score breakdown for 2024 graduates by individual district. In 2023, the average for graduates in CMS was 18.7, compared to NC’s average of 18.2. Nationally, the average was 19.5.
The ACT is part of the state accountability model in North Carolina – the calculation for a school’s grade of A, B, C, D or F.
“The ACT is practical because it can tell us a national comparison of how our students are doing,” said Beth Thompson, CMS chief strategy and innovation officer. “When our students take an end-of-course test, we can compare them to how students are doing across the state, but not nationally.”
The test is also a part of the requirements for some students who want to attend college in the UNC system. For students who enroll in college in fall 2026 and beyond, the system requires a minimum high school GPA of 2.5 and a minimum ACT score of 17 or SAT score of 930 if the GPA is between 2.5 and 2.8. The UNC system just voted to approve the change in May.
The ACT became a part of the CMS Board of Education’s goals this fall, too. The board now uses it as part of the calculation for how ready students are for life after graduation. CMS aims to monitor data prior to the ACT to identify gaps and align curriculum with the test, said Kim Schroeder, CMS assistant superintendent.
“We want to make sure that students graduate from high school and have a plan, and are equipped to be able to do something,” Thompson said. “I think it’s a real game changer for our community for building economic mobility.”
This story was originally published October 28, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
