Kentucky students in the class of 2024 performed among the top of states testing 100% of their students on the ACT college admissions exam, according to data released Oct. 16.
Kentucky students in the class of 2024 earned an average composite score of 18.6 on the ACT. A total of 62 students earned a perfect score of 36.
Kentucky’s average composite score ranks third among states testing 100% of their graduates, behind Wyoming, which only had about 13% of Kentucky’s class size, and Tennessee.
Average Composite Scores Among States Testing 100% of Graduates
| State | Number Tested | Average Composite Score | % Meeting English Benchmark | % Meeting Math Benchmark | % Meeting Reading Benchmark | % Meeting Science Benchmark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | 6,617 | 19.1 | 49 | 26 | 37 | 28 |
| Tennessee | 79,968 | 18.8 | 50 | 25 | 36 | 26 |
| Kentucky | 51,029 | 18.6 | 48 | 23 | 36 | 24 |
| Louisiana | 52,932 | 18.2 | 46 | 20 | 32 | 22 |
| Alabama | 54,299 | 18.0 | 43 | 18 | 30 | 21 |
| Arizona | 82,962 | 17.7 | 41 | 22 | 28 | 19 |
| Mississippi | 35,147 | 17.7 | 42 | 17 | 27 | 17 |
| Oklahoma | 48,850 | 17.6 | 40 | 15 | 29 | 17 |
| Nevada | 35,960 | 17.2 | 37 | 15 | 25 | 18 |
“Seeing Kentucky students perform near the top of their peer group is always a positive,” said Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher. “As with any assessment, the results paint a complex picture, but there’s certainly room for encouragement and room for improvement.”
Kentucky’s average composite score fell slightly from the 18.7 score recorded by the Kentucky class of 2023 and matches the score recorded by the class of 2022.
Average Kentucky ACT Scores
| Year | English | Math | Reading | Science | Composite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 19.5 | 19.2 | 20.5 | 19.6 | 19.8 |
| 2020 | 18.9 | 19.0 | 20.1 | 19.6 | 19.5 |
| 2021 | 18.7 | 18.8 | 19.7 | 19.3 | 19.2 |
| 2022 | 17.8 | 18.0 | 19.2 | 18.7 | 18.6 |
| 2023 | 18.1 | 18.1 | 19.3 | 18.8 | 18.7 |
| 2024 | 18.0 | 18.0 | 19.2 | 18.8 | 18.6 |
Kentucky saw a 1.2% increase in the number of students who took the test compared to the previous year. A total of 51,029 students from the class of 2024 took the ACT at least once.
The ACT is administered to all Kentucky high school juniors as part of state testing, which the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) funds, and measures students’ level of readiness for college in core academic content areas. KDE also funds an optional free senior retake opportunity, which enabled more than 6,700 more graduates in 2024 to meet college readiness benchmarks.
“One of our main goals at the Kentucky Department of Education is to give students as many opportunities to succeed as possible, and the free senior retake opportunity is another example of our support for that mission,” Fletcher said.
KDE is offering the free senior retake opportunity again for the class of 2025.
A majority of Kentucky students, 66%, took the ACT more than once, and this report for graduates uses the most recent exam taken by the student. Students who retested improved their ACT superscore – which is the average of the highest scores in each subject from every test attempt – by an average of 2.5 points.
ACT offers fee waivers to cover the cost of testing for students who meet certain indicators of economic need outside of school-day testing. In Kentucky, students in the class of 2024 took 4,629 ACT tests using a fee waiver.
Cumberland County High School earns ACT School of Excellence Award
Cumberland County High School was among 27 schools across the country to earn a 2023 School of Excellence award during the 2023-2024 school year from the ACT’s American College Application Campaign, a national effort to increase the number of first-generation college students and students from low-income families pursuing a college degree or other higher education credential. The School of Excellence award goes to schools that are helping students understand the steps of the application process and hosting events that empower students to complete an application.
“Cumberland County has gone above and beyond in helping transform the lives of students and get them going on the right path toward a career,” Fletcher said.
Each year, the American College Application Campaign works with designated coordinators in nearly every state and the District of Columbia to host college application events and reach students in their schools and communities, encouraging them to apply to college. Activities in 2023 included college application drives, financial aid workshops and one-on-one mentoring for academic and career planning support.
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