2018 ACT Scores Released
Results from the ACT Condition of College and Career Readiness Report show a decrease nationwide in average ACT scores, from 21.0 in 2017 to 20.8 in 2018. In Greenville County Schools, the average composite score on the ACT fell from 19.4 in 2017 to 18.7 in 2018 on the test’s 36-point scale. The GCS score remains higher than the state average of 18.3, which saw a decrease from 18.7 in 2017.
Greenville County Schools ranks 10th out of 85 SC school districts on the 2018 ACT composite score for graduating seniors. Three schools are among the top 25 performers in the state: Riverside High - 22.1 (#8), JL Mann High Academy – 20.7 (#19), and Eastside High – 20.2 (#25).
The number of GCS seniors taking the ACT decreased from 4,891 in 2017 to 4,867 in 2018. The decrease in the number of test takers resulted from the charter schools joining the South Carolina Public Charter School District.
South Carolina is one of 17 states that, until the 2017-2018 school year, by law required every 11th grade student, regardless of ambition or academic readiness, to take the ACT college readiness exam. Nationwide, only 55 percent of seniors were tested.
The Condition of College and Career Readiness Report includes an aggregation of the most recent score for each student who was in the 12th grade during the 2017-2018 school year. Scores represent a combination of students who were required to participate in state testing and those who took the ACT another time on their own.
Subject Tests – GCS Seniors
- The ACT subject test with the highest average score was Reading (19.3), followed by Science (18.9), Math (18.6), and English (17.7).
- The ACT Reading score average decreased from 20.0 in 2017 to 19.3 in 2018.
- The ACT Science score average decreased from 19.5 in 2017 to 18.9 in 2018.
- The ACT Math score average decreased from 19.4 in 2017 to 18.6 in 2018.
- The ACT English score average decreased from 18.2 in 2017 to 17.7 in 2018.
|
Institute |
Year |
# Tested |
English |
Mathematics |
Reading |
Science |
Composite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
GCS |
2017 |
4,891 |
18.2 |
19.4 |
20.0 |
19.5 |
19.4 |
|
GCS |
2018 |
4,867 |
17.7 |
18.6 |
19.3 |
18.9 |
18.7 |
|
SC |
2017 |
50,936 |
17.5 |
18.6 |
19.1 |
18.9 |
18.7 |
|
SC |
2018 |
53,743 |
17.3 |
18.2 |
18.6 |
18.5 |
18.3 |
|
Nation* |
2017 |
2,030,038 |
20.3 |
20.7 |
21.4 |
21.0 |
21.0 |
|
Nation* |
2018 |
1,914,817 |
20.2 |
20.5 |
21.3 |
20.7 |
20.8 |
*Nation tested 55% of seniors.
District- and school-level data files for the 2018 ACT College and Career Readiness report