ACT Score Calculator
Enter your section scores to get your ACT composite. Switch to the older four-section average, or superscore your best scores across test dates.
Enter your English, Math and Reading scores. The average is rounded to the nearest whole number: one-half or more rounds up, less than one-half rounds down.
What is a good ACT score?
A good ACT score is one that fits the colleges and scholarships you are aiming for. National results give you context, but the number that matters is each college's published middle 50% range for admitted students.
General admission
The national average composite for the class of 2025 was 19.4, so a composite of 20 or higher is above average. ACT's College Readiness Benchmarks below mark the section scores linked to a 50% chance of earning a B or higher in a first-year college course. Only 20% of 2025 graduates met all four.
| Section | Benchmark score | College course |
|---|---|---|
| English | 18 | English Composition |
| Math | 22 | Algebra |
| Reading | 22 | Social Sciences |
| Science | 23 | Biology |
Source: ACT Profile Report, National, Graduating Class 2025.
Selective colleges
Look up each college's middle 50% (the 25th to 75th percentile of admitted students) on its admissions site or in its Common Data Set. A score at or above the 75th percentile helps your application; one below the 25th percentile makes the school more of a reach. For national context, 91% of 2025 graduates scored 28 or lower. Colleges also weigh your grades, so calculate your high school GPA and estimate your admission chances with both.
Scholarships
Merit scholarship cutoffs are set by each college or program and can change every year, so check the current requirements on the scholarship page. Many awards combine a minimum ACT score with a minimum GPA, which you can check with our GPA calculator.
What is the average ACT score?
The average ACT composite for the class of 2025 was 19.4, across 1,380,130 graduates who took the ACT. Section averages were English 18.4, Math 18.9, Reading 20.0 and Science 19.6. These figures use each graduate's most recent test.
| Graduating class | Students tested | Average composite |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,295,349 | 20.3 |
| 2022 | 1,349,644 | 19.8 |
| 2023 | 1,386,335 | 19.5 |
| 2024 | 1,374,791 | 19.4 |
| 2025 | 1,380,130 | 19.4 |
Source: ACT Profile Report, National, Graduating Class 2025.
Part of the decline comes from who takes the test. In 2025, 69% of graduates last tested on a school day, usually through a state or district testing program, and averaged 17.8. The 31% who chose a weekend test averaged 23.0. For the other test, see the average SAT score.
How the ACT composite is calculated
Each section is scored from 1 to 36. The composite is the average of English, Math and Reading. Science is optional, is reported separately and does not change the composite. ACT has used this rule on every test since September 2025. The average is rounded to the nearest whole number: one-half or more rounds up, less than one-half rounds down.
- English 24, Math 25, Reading 27: average 25.33, composite 25.
- English 24, Math 25, Reading 28: average 25.67, composite 26.
- Older format, English 20, Math 20, Reading 20, Science 22: average 20.5, composite 21.
Before the change, the composite was the average of all four sections. ACT says composites from the older and current versions are interchangeable.
Your ACT superscore is the average of your highest English, Math and Reading scores across all your test dates, rounded the same way. Many colleges calculate a superscore themselves from the scores you send, and policies vary, so check how each college handles multiple scores.
Source: ACT: Understanding Your Scores.
ACT score chart
This chart shows the percent of class of 2025 graduates who scored at or below each composite, which is how ACT reports percentile ranks. Most of these students took the older four-section test, and ACT treats both composites as interchangeable.
| Composite | Graduates at or below this score |
|---|---|
| 36 | 100% |
| 35 | 99% |
| 34 | 99% |
| 33 | 98% |
| 32 | 97% |
| 31 | 96% |
| 30 | 94% |
| 29 | 93% |
| 28 | 91% |
| 27 | 89% |
| 26 | 86% |
| 25 | 84% |
| 24 | 80% |
| 23 | 76% |
| 22 | 72% |
| 21 | 67% |
| 20 | 62% |
| 19 | 57% |
| 18 | 51% |
| 17 | 45% |
| 16 | 39% |
| 15 | 32% |
| 14 | 25% |
| 13 | 17% |
| 12 | 9% |
| 11 | 3% |
| 10 | 1% |
Source: ACT Profile Report, National, Graduating Class 2025. Fewer than 1% scored below 10.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the highest ACT score?
The highest score is 36, both for the composite and for each section. In the class of 2025, 2,958 of 1,380,130 ACT-tested graduates had a composite of 36.
How is the ACT composite rounded?
The average is rounded to the nearest whole number: one-half or more rounds up, less than one-half rounds down. For example, English 24, Math 25 and Reading 28 average 25.67, which rounds to 26.
Is the ACT Science section required?
No. On the current ACT, Science is optional and does not count toward the composite. If you take it, ACT reports your Science score separately along with a STEM score. If a college or scholarship you are applying to asks for Science, include it.
What ACT score do I need for college?
It depends on the college. Compare your composite with the middle 50% of admitted students that each college publishes. Open-admission and test-optional colleges may not need a score at all, while selective colleges usually publish ranges well above the national average.
Should I take the ACT or the SAT?
US colleges that consider test scores accept either test. Try a practice test of each and see which score is higher once you convert your ACT score to an SAT score. You can also estimate your SAT score from a practice test or read our SAT vs ACT comparison.
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