MEDIA CONTACT: Matt Cardoza, GaDOE Communications Office, (404) 651-7358, mcardoza@gadoe.org
August 26, 2015 – 2015 ACT results show Georgia at the top of the pack among Southern states, outperforming Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Florida, West Virginia, South Carolina, and Texas.
Georgia students also scored higher than those in Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, Wyoming, Arkansas, Hawaii, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arizona.
Georgia students’ average composite score increased from 20.8 last year to 21.0 this year, which is now equal to the national average. Georgia’s ACT rank jumped from 30th in 2014 to 28th this year.
“Georgia students’ ACT performance is on par with the nation and outpaces most other Southern states, and I’m pleased to see that,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “These results are a testament to the hard work of our teachers. I think we’ll continue to see gains as we realign our focus and implement child-focused, classroom-centered policies.”
Scores in English, reading and science increased, with the average English score rising from 20.3 to 20.6, reading from 21.4 to 21.6, and science from 20.7 to 20.9. The average math score held steady at 20.5.
Scores also increased among minority students in Georgia, with the average composite score rising from 17.6 to 17.8 for African American students, 19.9 to 20.1 for Hispanic/Latino students, and 21.0 to 21.4 for students of two or more races. Minority students in Georgia also outperformed their peers nationally: African American students in Georgia recorded an average composite score of 17.8, compared to 17.1 nationally. Hispanic/Latino students in Georgia recorded an average composite score of 20.1, compared to 18.9 nationally.
The number of Georgia’s high school students taking the ACT increased by 7.8 percent compared to the year prior, with a total of 54,653 students taking the test in 2015. Ninety-one percent of this year’s ACT-tested graduates aspired to go on to some type of post-secondary education.
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