South Dakotans score above national average on ACTs

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — South Dakota’s graduating class of 2024 scored above the national average on the ACTs with a composite score of 21.1. The national average is 19.4.

The ACT is an optional standardized test used for college admissions in the United States and tests English, math, reading and science skills. The ACT score goes up to 36.

According to a news release from the South Dakota Department of Education, 6,097 South Dakota students took the ACT. Seven students scored a top score of 36.

“These numbers indicate that schools in South Dakota are doing a solid job of preparing students to attend college,” Secretary of Education Joe Graves said in the news release.

Since 2023, South Dakota’s average score stayed at 21.1, but has decreased slightly over the last four years. In 2020, the average score was 21.7, which dipped to 21.6 in in 2021, then 21.5 in 2022.

Nationally, scores dropped from 20.6 in 2020 to 20.3 in 2021, 19.8 in 2022 and 19.5 in 2023.

The ACT is currently optional for students with 58 percent of South Dakota’s 2024 graduates taking the exam. However, in 2026 all South Dakota juniors will take the test, as it will replace the previously required state assessment at the high school level. The ACT will be administered as part of the school day.

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