California ranks 15th in the nation for its composite ACT score, according to a 2017 report released by the ACT Thursday.
The average score for the college standardized test in California was 22.8 compared to the national average of 21, on a 1-36 scale.
California also outperformed the national average in performance in the ACT’s four core subjects of English, math, reading and science.
On average, students in California scored 22.5 in English, 22.7 in math, 23.1 in reading and 22.2 in science, compared to the national average of 20.3 in English, 20.7 in math, 21.4 in reading and 21.0 in science.
However, the scores may be different due to the amount of students who took the test in California and those who took the test nationwide. According to the report, only 31 percent of high school graduates were tested from California compared to 60 percent of high school graduates nationwide.
The change in numbers could be due to the size of the graduate pool who took the ACT.
National Numbers
More than 2 million high school graduates took the ACT this year.
Of these 2 million students, 39 percent met the ACT College Readiness Benchmark in at least three of four core subjects, which reflects an increase from 38 percent in 2016.
In each core subject, 37 percent of students met the science benchmark, 41 percent met the math benchmark, 47 percent met the reading benchmark and 61 percent met the English benchmark.
The report also found that underserved students—defined as students who are minority, low-income and/or first-generation college students—represent 46 percent of the 2017 ACT graduating class.
These students were found to be less likely than others to have access to a high-quality educational and career planning opportunities and resources.
It also found that a majority of underserved students achieve only one of the four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks.
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