Georgia Students’ ACT scores beat the national average for the seventh consecutive year.
Georgia’s class of 2023 recorded an average composite score of 21.3, compared to the national average of 19.5.
“As I’ve had the occasion to say often lately – I’m incredibly proud of the class of 2023,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said in a press release. “These students were high-school freshmen when the pandemic closed schools in 2020. Their education was severely impacted by the national crisis, but they have risen above, and we’ve seen positive news regarding their SAT scores, graduation rate, and now ACT scores in recent weeks. These results also bring positive news in the area of literacy, with Georgia students scoring higher in reading than any other subject area. We will continue working hard to ensure every student has access to a strong education that will open doors to a successful future.”
Georgia’s students’ 2023 scores decreased slightly compared to 2022 when the state average was 21.6. However, 2023 score averages still exceed the pre-pandemic average of 20.7.
Georgia’s scores in every individual subject area were higher than the national average, with students scoring the highest in reading.
The percentage of Georgia students in the class of 2023 meeting ACT’s College Readiness Benchmarks was also higher than the national average in all subject areas, and the rate of Georgia students who met all four benchmarks was eight percent higher than the national average.
The College Readiness Benchmarks are scores on the ACT subject-area tests that demonstrate the level of achievement required for students to have a 50% chance of scoring a B or higher or a 75% chance of achieving a C or higher in corresponding credit-bearing first-year college courses.
In total, twenty-eight percent of the class of 2023 took the ACT, with 74 students in Georgia receiving a perfect score of 36.
All ACT scores are based on 2023 high school graduates who took the test at any point during high school.
