Average ACT Scores by State (2026)

Connecticut’s 25.5 average looks like the best in the country until you see that only 14% of students took the ACT. Those are mostly high-achievers who need the ACT for out-of-state applications. Nevada’s 16.7 looks alarming until you realize every single public school student took the test.

This pattern holds across every state comparison. The 16 states with mandatory ACT testing all score below 20. The 10 highest-scoring states all have participation rates under 20%. This is not a coincidence. It is a statistical certainty: when you test everyone, the average reflects the full range of ability.[^1]

Other factors that affect state averages include school funding, the proportion of English language learners, income distribution, and whether the state primarily uses the ACT or SAT as its accountability test. None of these should be ignored when comparing states.

Starting in spring 2025, students taking the ACT online can choose to skip the Science section entirely. The composite score for online test-takers without Science will be calculated from the remaining three sections (English, Math, and Reading). Paper test-takers still complete all four sections.[^4]

This change has implications for state-level data going forward. States that administer the ACT online may see composite scores shift slightly because Science is removed from the average for students who opt out. ACT, Inc. has stated they will report both three-section and four-section composites to maintain comparability with historical data.

If you are deciding whether to take the Science section, check your target schools. Many colleges have not yet clarified whether they will accept a three-section ACT composite, so taking all four sections remains the safer choice for the class of 2026.

“Good” depends on your target schools. Here is a rough framework:

Your state average is not your benchmark. Your real target is the middle 50% range of admitted students at the colleges on your list. Every school publishes this data in their Common Data Set or on their admissions page.

The state-level data on this page comes from ACT, Inc.’s 2024–25 national and state scores report, which covers the high school class of 2025. Composite scores are the average of the four section scores (English, Math, Reading, and Science) on a 1–36 scale. Participation rates represent the estimated percentage of high school graduates who took the ACT at least once during high school.

Race and ethnicity data is self-reported by students during registration. We present these figures as published by ACT, Inc. to reflect real patterns, with the context that score gaps are driven by systemic factors, not individual ability.

We update this page annually when ACT, Inc. releases new data, typically in the fall. The “2026” in our title refers to the current academic year; the underlying data is from the most recent completed reporting cycle (class of 2025).