ACT test scores drop to lowest in 30 years in pandemic slide

PHOENIX (AP) — ACT test scores made public in a report Wednesday reveal a decline in preparedness for college-level coursework. Overall, the average ACT composite score was 19.8 out of 36. This year was the first time since 1991 that the average score was below 20, and it was the lowest average in more than 30 years. The report also shows 42% of ACT-tested graduates in the class of 2022 met none of the ACT's subject benchmarks, which are indicators of how well students are expected to perform in college courses. The results offer a lens into systemic inequities in education, in place well before the pandemic shuttered schools and colleges waived testing requirements.