Act score distribution by race

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      Table 155.

      ACT score averages and standard deviations, by sex and race/ethnicity, and percentage of ACT test takers, by selected composite score ranges and planned fields of study: Selected years, 1995 through 2010

      Score type and test-taker characteristic	1995	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
      1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14
      Total test takers
      Number (in thousands)	945	1,019	1,065	1,070	1,116	1,175	1,171	1,186	1,206	1,301	1,422	1,480	1,569
      Percent of graduates	37.5	36.9	37.6	37.6	38.4	39.0	38.4	38.2	38.6	40.7	42.9	44.6	47.5
      Average test score 1
      Composite score, total	20.8	21.0	21.0	21.0	20.8	20.8	20.9	20.9	21.1	21.2	21.1	21.1	21.0
      Sex
      Male	21.0	21.1	21.2	21.1	20.9	21.0	21.0	21.1	21.2	21.2	21.2	21.3	21.2
      Female	20.7	20.9	20.9	20.9	20.7	20.8	20.9	20.9	21.0	21.0	21.0	20.9	20.9
      Race/ethnicity
      White	—	22.7	22.7	21.8	21.7	21.7	21.8	21.9	22.0	22.1	22.1	22.2	22.3
      Black	—	17.9	17.8	16.9	16.8	16.9	17.1	17.0	17.1	17.0	16.9	16.9	16.9
      Mexican American	—	19.6	19.5	18.5	18.2	18.3	18.4	18.4	—	—	—	—	—
      Other Hispanic	—	20.7	20.5	19.4	18.8	19.0	18.8	18.9	—	—	—	—	—
      Hispanic	—	—	—	—	18.4	18.5	18.5	18.6	18.6	18.7	18.7	18.7	18.6
      Asian American/Pacific Islander	—	22.3	22.4	21.7	21.6	21.8	21.9	22.1	22.3	22.6	22.9	23.2	23.4
      American Indian/Alaska Native	—	20.4	20.4	18.8	18.6	18.7	18.8	18.7	18.8	18.9	19.0	18.9	19.0
      Subject-area scores
      English	20.2	20.5	20.5	20.5	20.2	20.3	20.4	20.4	20.6	20.7	20.6	20.6	20.5
      Male	19.8	20.0	20.0	20.0	19.7	19.8	19.9	20.0	20.1	20.2	20.1	20.2	20.1
      Female	20.6	20.9	20.9	20.8	20.6	20.7	20.8	20.8	21.0	21.0	21.0	20.9	20.8
      Mathematics	20.2	20.7	20.7	20.7	20.6	20.6	20.7	20.7	20.8	21.0	21.0	21.0	21.0
      Male	20.9	21.4	21.4	21.4	21.2	21.2	21.3	21.3	21.5	21.6	21.6	21.6	21.6
      Female	19.7	20.2	20.2	20.2	20.1	20.1	20.2	20.2	20.3	20.4	20.4	20.4	20.5
      Reading	21.3	21.4	21.4	21.3	21.1	21.2	21.3	21.3	21.4	21.5	21.4	21.4	21.3
      Male	21.1	21.1	21.2	21.1	20.9	21.0	21.1	21.0	21.1	21.2	21.2	21.3	21.1
      Female	21.4	21.6	21.5	21.5	21.3	21.4	21.5	21.5	21.6	21.6	21.5	21.4	21.4
      Science reasoning	21.0	21.0	21.0	21.0	20.8	20.8	20.9	20.9	20.9	21.0	20.8	20.9	20.9
      Male	21.6	21.5	21.6	21.6	21.3	21.3	21.3	21.4	21.4	21.4	21.3	21.4	21.4
      Female	20.5	20.6	20.6	20.6	20.4	20.4	20.5	20.5	20.5	20.5	20.4	20.4	20.5
      Standard deviation 2
      Composite score, total	—	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.8	4.8	4.8	—	4.8	5.0	5.0	5.1	5.2
      Sex
      Male	—	4.9	4.9	4.9	5.0	5.0	5.0	5.0	—	—	—	—	—
      Female	—	4.6	4.6	4.6	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7	—	—	—	—	—
      Subject-area scores
      English	—	5.5	5.5	5.6	5.8	5.8	5.9	—	5.9	6.0	6.1	6.3	6.4
      Male	—	5.5	5.6	5.6	5.8	5.8	5.9	6.0	—	—	—	—	—
      Female	—	5.5	5.5	5.6	5.7	5.8	5.8	5.9	—	—	—	—	—
      Mathematics	—	5.0	5.0	5.0	5.0	5.1	5.0	—	5.0	5.1	5.2	5.3	5.3
      Male	—	5.2	5.2	5.2	5.3	4.8	5.3	5.3	—	—	—	—	—
      Female	—	4.7	4.8	4.7	4.8	5.3	4.8	4.8	—	—	—	—	—
      Reading	—	6.0	6.1	6.0	6.1	6.1	6.0	—	6.0	6.1	6.1	6.2	6.2
      Male	—	6.1	6.1	6.1	6.3	5.3	6.1	6.1	—	—	—	—	—
      Female	—	5.9	6.0	6.0	6.1	4.8	5.9	6.0	—	—	—	—	—
      Science reasoning	—	4.5	4.5	4.6	4.6	4.6	4.6	—	4.6	4.9	4.9	5.0	5.1
      Male	—	4.8	4.8	4.9	4.9	4.9	4.9	4.9	—	—	—	—	—
      Female	—	4.2	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.3	—	—	—	—	—
      Percent of ACT test takers
      Obtaining composite scores of--
      28 or above	—	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	11	11	12	12	12
      17 or below	—	25	25	25	27	27	26	26	25	25	26	27	28
      Planned major field of study
      Business 3	13	12	11	11	10	10	9	9	9	8	11	12	11
      Engineering 4	8	8	8	7	7	7	6	6	6	5	7	8	8
      Social science 5	9	9	9	9	8	8	7	7	6	5	6	7	7
      Education 6	8	9	9	8	8	7	7	6	6	5	6	7	7

      —Not available.

      1 Minimum score is 1 and maximum score is 36.

      2 Standard deviations not available for racial/ethnic groups.

      3 Includes business and management, business and office, and marketing and distribution.

      4 Includes engineering and engineering-related technologies.

      5 Includes social science and philosophy, religion, and theology.

      6 Includes education and teacher education.

      NOTE: Data are for high school graduates who took the ACT during their sophomore, junior, or senior year. If a student took a test more than once, the most recent score was used. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Some data have been revised from previously published figures.

      SOURCE: ACT, High School Profile Report, selected years, 1995 through 2010. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Survey of Public Elementary/Secondary Education," 1995-96 through 2008–09; Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 1995 through 2007; and Projections of Education Statistics to 2019. (This table was prepared August 2010.)