Minnesota ACT scores still highest among states where most students take exam, report says

(FOX 9) - Minnesota students once again outperformed the nation on the ACT college entrance exam, according to an annual report released this week. 

Graduating seniors in Minnesota earned an average composite score of 21.4 out of a possible 36 on the exam, which measures students’ readiness for college in English, reading, math and science, according to the ACT’s annual Condition of College & Career Readiness report. Minnesota students scored better than the national average of 20.7.  

In 2018, Minnesota students earned an average composite score of 21.3 on the ACT. The state Department of Education said the gaps in scores between student groups remained relatively the same between 2018 and 2019. 

Among the 17 states where more than 90 percent of students take the ACT, Minnesota students posted the highest average score, followed by Utah and Wisconsin. Ninety-five percent of graduating seniors in Minnesota took the exam.