Key takeaways
Most families look up the average ACT score, and either panic or relax – neither reaction is right. The national average tells you where the middle of the pool is. It says nothing about what your child's target schools actually expect, or why a student in Nevada with a 17 might be performing exactly as well as someone in Connecticut with a 26. Here's what the score numbers actually mean.
- National average ACT® composite score in 2024: 19.4 – the lowest since 1990
- Scale runs 1 to 36. Composite = average of English, Math, and Reading (Science optional as of 2025)
- 19.4 sits at roughly the 50th percentile – half of ACT test-takers score higher, the other half lower
- A “good” score isn’t a fixed number. It’s the score that clears the bar at your target schools
Contents
How ACT Is Scored
In November 1959, University of Iowa professor Everett Franklin Lindquist introduced ACT, American College Testing, as a competitor to the SAT. There are four academic skill areas covered: English, Math, Reading, Science, each one scored 1–36. Composite score is the average, rounded to the nearest whole number. A 36 – perfect, the best ACT score possible – goes to fewer than 1% of test-takers.
2024 national section scores:
| Section | Average Score |
| English | 18.4 |
| Math | 18.9 |
| Reading | 20.0 |
| Science | 19.6 |
| Composite | 19.4 |
Science is changing. Starting April 2025, online test-takers no longer have to complete it. Paper tests follow in September 2025. From that point, the composite is English, Math, and Reading only.
Writing stays optional – it’s scored separately and doesn’t touch the average ACT composite score.
Take the ACT more than once, combine your best section scores across dates, and you get the Superscore, which is accepted by many colleges. Among 2024 graduates who retook the test, the median Superscore gain was 2.4 points over their first attempt – worth knowing before you decide whether to retake.
ACT Score Percentiles
Percentile rank is where your score positioned relative to everyone else. 75th percentile means 75% of test takers scored at or below you.
Here’s the ACT national rank data from graduates of 2022–2024:
| Composite Score | Percentile (approx.) |
| 36 | 99th+ |
| 34–35 | 99th |
| 31–33 | 95th–98th |
| 28–30 | 88th–93rd |
| 24–27 | 74th–85th |
| 20–23 | 52nd–68th |
| 19.4 (national avg) | ~50th |
| 16–19 | 28th–48th |
| Below 16 | Bottom 35% |
A 24 – 75th percentile is roughly where admissions experts draw the line for good ACT score for colleges and universities. A 31 puts a student in the top 5% nationally. One point on the ACT can shift percentile rank by 5 in certain ranges. Small differences matter more than most families realize.
Average ACT® Score by State
Top and bottom of the 2024 state averages look dramatic, but they’re not. Participation rate explains almost all of it.
States where the ACT is mandatory pull in everyone, including students who aren’t college-bound and haven’t prepped. That drags the average down. States where it’s optional mostly get ambitious, self-selected test-takers. That pushes the average up.
Highest (Class of 2024):
- Washington D.C.: 26.7 (17% participation)
- Connecticut: 26.5 (8% participation)
- California: 26.5 (3% participation)
Those numbers reflect motivated test-takers, not the general student population.
Lowest average composite scores:
- Nevada: 17.2 (100% participation – mandatory statewide testing)
- Oklahoma: 17.6
The full state-by-state breakdown is available on the corresponding page.
What Is a Good ACT Score?
Depends on where you submit ACT scores. A score of 23 clears roughly two-thirds of test-takers. At many four-year programs, that’s not enough. At open-enrollment schools, it clears the bar easily. The 19.4 national average is a data point – not a goal.
| Score Range | What It Signals |
| Below 16 | May limit access to many four-year programs |
| 16–19 | Below national avg; competitive for open-enrollment schools |
| 20–23 | At or near national avg; viable for many colleges |
| 24–27 | Above avg; competitive at a wide range of universities |
| 28–30 | Strong; opens doors at selective schools |
| 31–33 | Excellent; competitive at highly selective programs |
| 34–36 | Top 1%; expected range at Ivy League and equivalent schools |
The ACT publishes College Readiness Benchmarks – section scores that signal a 50% chance of a B or better in first-year college courses. English: 18. Math: 22. Reading: 22. Science: 23. Only 30% of the class of 2024 hit three or four of them.
Colleges use ACT scores alongside GPA, course rigor, essays, extracurriculars. Not in isolation.
Grace Lee, managing director at Command Education, says it directly: “The mistake families make is chasing perfection instead of strategy. Admissions isn’t about scoring the highest, it’s about knowing what matters for your goals.”
Comparing ACT and SAT scores comes down to different scales, despite having the same purpose. ACT runs 1–36, SAT runs 400–1600. Official concordance tables let you compare – a score of 23 ACT is roughly 1130 SAT, and a score of 33 ACT is roughly 1450 SAT.
ACT Score Ranges at Top Schools
Middle 50% ranges for admitted students – meaning 25% scored below the lower bound, 25% scored above the upper.
| School | Middle 50% ACT Range |
| Harvard | 34–36 |
| MIT | 34–36 |
| Stanford | 34–35 |
| University of Michigan | 32–35 |
| UCLA | 28–34 |
| University of Texas at Austin | 26–33 |
| University of Massachusetts Boston | ~23 average |
Falling below a school’s range doesn’t end the application. But it means everything else needs to look more prominent.
Test-Optional Colleges and ACT Scores
Test-optional isn’t test-irrelevant. Students who submit higher scores usually show higher admit rates than non-submitters. Lower scores – don’t submit, it can work against you.
Policy is shifting fast. Harvard, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell – all reinstated SAT requirements for fall 2026. Columbia, Penn, Princeton still test-optional. Check each school directly before assuming anything.
One more thing worth knowing: for students from schools with limited course offerings or non-traditional settings, a strong ACT score signals academic readiness in ways GPA can’t always capture. As for Legacy, we offer the ACT preparation, ACT practice tests, personalized analytics, live expert tutoring, and a score improvement guarantee to help high schoolers take it successfully.
How to Improve Your ACT Score
Most students gain 2–3 points with focused ACT test prep. What actually makes sure you improve your score:
Start sophomore year. Lower stakes, more time, room to retake. First-time scores establish a baseline – useful information regardless of the result.
Attack sections, not just the composite. One point in the right section can shift percentile rank by 5. Find the weakest section. That’s where the time goes.
Practice tests = real conditions. Pass the full test without interruptions and with a time limit. Nothing predicts test-day performance better.
Superscore the retakes. Each sitting is additive, not a replacement. Best sections stack. No downside to retaking if the schools you’re targeting accept Superscores.
STEM programs: Math section performance gets looked at separately. A 32 composite ACT score with a 28 Math can raise flags in engineering admissions. A 30 composite with a 34 Math often doesn’t.
Top Tips from Our Expert
Maya Robinson, College Prep Advisor at Legacy Online School:
- Don’t benchmark against the national average of 19.4 – benchmark against the middle 50% range of your actual target schools. Those are two very different numbers
- Section scores matter, especially for STEM. A strong composite with a weak Math score can still limit your options in engineering or computer science programs
- Test-optional doesn’t mean test-irrelevant. If your score is above the school’s median, submit it. If it’s below, don’t
- The Superscore system means retaking isn’t risky – you’re only ever adding to your best sections, not replacing them
- Merit scholarships often have ACT score thresholds. A single point increase at the right cutoff can unlock thousands of dollars in aid over four years
Sources: ACT 2024 Graduating Class Database | ACT National Ranks & Score Percentiles | ACT Average Scores by State 2024 | BestColleges – Average ACT Score | U.S. News – What’s a Good ACT Score | PrepScholar – ACT Scores by State
