GCS ACT College Entrance Score Continues to Exceed State and National Averages
Greenville County Schools’ seniors have outperformed the state and national averages for the sixth year in a row on the American College Test (ACT), one of two major college entrance tests.
The GCS Class of 2014 posted an average score of 22.0 out of a possible 36 points, two-tenths of percentage point higher than last year’s average score of 21.8. The state average of 20.4 for all students remained steady, while the national average climbed from 20.9 to 21.0.
ACT considers a change of three-tenths of a point or more to be statistically significant. Twelve GCS high schools rank in the top half of the state based on their 2014 composite scores, and six schools rank in the top quarter of the state.
"We are extremely proud of the efforts of our students and the hard work of our faculty in preparing them. These efforts are reflected in both the increased number of students taking the ACT and in our students’ higher scores, which exceed the national average,” said Superintendent W. Burke Royster.
Of the 20,782 public school students statewide taking the ACT, GCS tested 1,930 (9.3%) students. Over a five-year period, the number of students taking the ACT has increased each year. From 2010 to 2014 the number of GCS students taking the ACT increased by 8.4%, from 1,612 to 1,930.
The ACT is a test of curriculum-based and classroom-based achievement, meaning the ACT tests what students have learned.