More than 68,000 members of the Missouri graduating class of 2017 took the ACT^® as 11^th graders and earned an average composite score of 20.4. That reflects an increase from last year’s composite score of 20.2 and is the fourth highest composite score among the 17 states that tested 100 percent of their graduates. Nationally, 60 percent of the class of 2017 took the ACT^®, with a composite score of 21.0.

Missouri scores were higher in every subject:
English – 19.8, up from 19.7 in 2016
Math – 19.9, up from 19.8 in 2016
Reading – 20.8, up from 20.6 in 2016
Science – 20.5, up from 20.4 in 2016

Twenty-three percent of the Missouri class of 2017 met all four ACT^® college benchmarks – a one percent increase from 2016.

In addition, there was a notable increase in the number of Hispanic students who took the ACT^® in Missouri, and their scores also increased. More than 3,500 Hispanic students in the class of 2017 took the test, 200 more than 2016. They represent 6 percent of Missouri students who took the test, up from 5 percent in 2016. Hispanic students in Missouri scored an average composite score of 18.8, compared with 18.4 in 2016.

“The increases in Missouri’s results are a direct reflection of the focus on excellence our students and teachers bring to the classroom every day,” said Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven. “We are proud of the gains they have made, but there is still much work to be done if we are to ensure that all students succeed.”

Missouri uses the ACT^® as one of its measures of college and career readiness in its continuing effort to ensure that all Missouri students graduate from high school ready to succeed in college and the workplace.