The average ACT score in 2026–27
The average ACT composite in ACT’s current rank table is 19.1, with a standard deviation of 6.1. The table is “based on ACT-tested high school graduates from 2024–2026” and is used for tests taken from September 2026 through August 2027.[1] ACT’s scores page gives a slightly different figure, 19.4 for 2024 graduates, because it describes a different group.[2]
| Score | Average | Standard deviation |
|---|---|---|
| Composite | 19.1 | 6.1 |
| English | 18.4 | 7 |
| Math | 19 | 5.7 |
| Reading | 20 | 7.1 |
| Science | 19.5 | 5.8 |
| STEM | 19.5 | 5.5 |
ACT percentiles: national ranks for every composite
An ACT national rank is the percentage of recent graduates who scored at or below a score. It is ACT’s version of a percentile.[1]
| Composite | At or below | Composite | At or below |
|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 100% | 23 | 77% |
| 35 | 99% | 22 | 72% |
| 34 | 99% | 21 | 68% |
| 33 | 98% | 20 | 63% |
| 32 | 97% | 19 | 58% |
| 31 | 96% | 18 | 52% |
| 30 | 94% | 17 | 47% |
| 29 | 93% | 16 | 41% |
| 28 | 91% | 15 | 34% |
| 27 | 89% | 14 | 28% |
| 26 | 86% | 13 | 20% |
| 25 | 83% | 12 | 13% |
| 24 | 80% | 11 | 6% |
A composite of 10 or lower puts you in the bottom 2%. Section ranks differ: a 24 in Reading ranks lower (75%) than a 24 in Math (81%), because Reading scores run higher on average.[1]
| Score | English | Math | Reading | Science | Composite | STEM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| 33 | 96% | 98% | 95% | 98% | 98% | 98% |
| 30 | 93% | 95% | 89% | 95% | 94% | 95% |
| 27 | 88% | 91% | 83% | 91% | 89% | 90% |
| 24 | 81% | 81% | 75% | 82% | 80% | 81% |
| 21 | 70% | 71% | 61% | 65% | 68% | 69% |
| 18 | 54% | 60% | 47% | 48% | 52% | 52% |
| 15 | 41% | 33% | 33% | 27% | 34% | 27% |
What is a good ACT score?
A good ACT score is one above the average of 19.1 and inside or above the middle 50% range of the colleges you are applying to. A 24 is better than about four in five recent graduates; a 28 is in the top tenth. Selective colleges publish much higher ranges: the University of Florida’s admitted class of 2030, for example, had a middle 50% ACT of 32–35.[4]
- 21–23: above average; ranks between 68% and 77%.
- 24–27: strong for many colleges; ranks 80–89%.
- 28–31: top tenth nationally; ranks 91–96%.
- 32 and up: top 3%; the range selective schools look for.
Score a practice testConvert your correct answers to scale scores and a composite with the ACT score calculator, compare with the SAT using the ACT to SAT conversion, and pick a date from the ACT test dates.
How the composite is calculated
The composite averages English, Math and Reading and rounds to the nearest whole number, with halves rounded up; Science is optional and feeds a separate STEM score.[3][2] So 23, 24 and 25 give a composite of 24, and 23, 24 and 26 give 24.33, still 24.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average ACT score?
19.1 for 2024–2026 graduates in ACT’s 2026–27 rank table. ACT reports 19.4 for the class of 2024.
Is a 24 a good ACT score?
Yes. A 24 ranks at 80%: four in five recent graduates scored 24 or lower.
What ACT score is top 10%?
About 28 and up: a 28 ranks at 91%.
What is the average ACT math score?
19, with English 18.4 and Reading 20.