Slight fluctuations in ACT scores as student proficiency drops

ACT scores for the class of 2025 wavered a bit in recent testing cycles, as statewide measures of high school academic proficiency continue to tell a concerning story.

According to the ACT, the nonprofit organization that administers the college readiness exam, Minnesota’s average English and composite scores ticked down from last year’s results while math, reading, and science held steady. English, math, science, and composite average scores continue to be the lowest on record since at least 2013.

Roughly 68 percent of Minnesota’s 2025 high school graduates took the exam, earning an average composite score of 20.6 out of 36 possible points, average English scores ticked down to 19.1, and math (20.4), reading (21.4), and science (21.1) repeated 2024 results.

Thirty-nine percent of exam-takers met either three or four college-readiness benchmarks in math, reading, English, and science. (Last year the ACT reported the percentage that met three readiness benchmarks and the percentage that met four readiness benchmarks separately.)

Perhaps more concerning is that 36 percent (up from 35 percent in 2024) met zero of the benchmarks.

According to ACT, students who meet the college readiness benchmarks “have a roughly 50 [percent] chance of earning a B or better in the corresponding first-year college courses and a roughly 75 [percent] chance of earning a C or better.”

ACT data from prior graduating classes shows that 84 [percent] of students who have met all four benchmarks graduate with postsecondary degrees within six years. Only 38 [percent] of students who meet zero benchmarks and 56 [percent] of students meeting one benchmark graduate in that time.

Minnesota’s high school graduation rate, on the other hand, has climbed to its highest level on record, even as it is paired with student proficiency rates that have fallen to their lowest point. Just under 35 percent (34.7 percent) of the class of 2025 met grade-level math benchmarks as 11th graders, and 51.5 percent met grade-level reading benchmarks as 10th graders. (In Minnesota, math and reading are tested only once in high school.)

For colleges, “using high school grade point average without a confirming alternative measure of achievement may lead them to fail to identify students who may need additional supports,” writes ACT Research. “…[C]olleges should encourage students to submit their ACT scores so that colleges can better assess the potential success of students.”

According to the Minnesota Department of Education’s 2024 “Technical Manual for Minnesota’s Statewide Assessments,” there is a “strong positive relationship” between the math and reading Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs) for high schoolers and a nationally recognized college entrance examination.

Additionally, the department has this report available on its website that HumRRO prepared for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and shows there is modest correlation between MCA scores and grades earned in related first-year college courses (which shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise given the tight correlation between college entrance exam scores, such as the ACT, and MCA scores).

Minnesota state law does not require students to take a college entrance exam as a high school graduation requirement, but it does “encourage” it.

Performance on the MCAs and ACT, while only a snapshot of student achievement, still deserves attention. Dismissing these results risks overlooking patterns that can reveal gaps in instruction or areas where students may need more support. When used thoughtfully, assessment data can inform teaching strategies and hold systems accountable to ensure every student has access to a high-quality education that will help equip them to meet the demands of tomorrow’s workforce.

Minnesota Average ACT Scores