You're probably curious about how you stack up against average ACT scores. But how many types of averages are there, and which averages are important for you? How about the national average ACT score? Or ACT score averages by gender and by ethnicity?
We'll discuss official results for all these questions and tell you which ACT average actually matters for your future.
What is the ACT average score? That depends on which group of students you're looking at. We'll look at national averages, averages by gender, and averages by ethnicity. Then we'll discuss which average ACT scores actually matter to you.
National Average ACT ScoreThe national average for the ACT stays roughly the same from year to year. For the graduating class of 2014, the ACT reported 1,845,787 total test takers. These were the average scores by section, and as a composite score:
- Composite: 20
- English: 19-20
- Math: 19-20
- Reading: 20-21
- Science: 20-21
All scores reported are the 50th-percentile score, meaning half the students scored above this number, and half scored below.
If you scored the national average of 20 composite, you have a decent selection of schools that you have a great chance of getting into. If you raise your score by just a few points, this can make a huge difference in the schools that you're lkely to get into.
Now a few more ACT average scores for curiosity:
Average ACT Scores by Gender| Students | Percent | English | Mathematics | Reading | Science | Composite | |
| Males | 856,651 | 46 | 20.0 | 21.4 | 21.1 | 21.2 | 21.1 |
| Females | 977,127 | 53 | 20.7 | 20.5 | 21.5 | 20.5 | 20.9 |
Interestingly, just like the SAT, boys tend to score higher in mathematics and science, while girls score higher in English and reading.
Of course, these are national averages - just because you're a particular gender has little influence on the score you'll receive. It's much more up to the individual - if you stay motivated and prep for the ACT, you can earn a high score.
Average ACT Scores by EthnicityWhen registering for the ACT, the College Board allows students the option to specify their ethnicity. Most students do share their ethnicity, and the ACT has reported average scores across ethnicity:
| Ethnicity | Students | Percent | English | Mathematics | Reading | Science | Composite |
| All Students | 1,845,787 | 20.3 | 20.9 | 21.3 | 20.8 | 21.0 | |
| Black/African American | 241,678 | 13% | 15.8 | 17.2 | 17.3 | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 14,263 | 0.8% | 16.6 | 18.1 | 18.4 | 18.3 | 18.0 |
| White | 1,038,435 | 56% | 22.0 | 22.0 | 22.8 | 22.1 | 22.3 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 281,216 | 15% | 17.7 | 19.2 | 19.1 | 18.8 | 18.8 |
| Asian | 80,370 | 4% | 22.8 | 24.9 | 22.8 | 23.2 | 23.5 |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 5,676 | 0.3% | 17.5 | 19.2 | 18.7 | 18.6 | 18.6 |
| Two or more races | 70,013 | 4% | 20.6 | 20.9 | 21.7 | 21.0 | 21.2 |
| No response | 114,136 | 6% | 20.0 | 20.7 | 21.1 | 20.5 | 20.7 |
Once again, take this information with a huge grain of salt. While there are score differences by ethnicity, these are very rough metrics that may not apply to you. Because these are national averages, it ignores the ability of you as an individual to exceeds the average. Just by searching for this information, you're already outperforming doing more than what most students do to learn about the ACT.
