Hawaii’s ACT Scores Stay Steady Even as More Students Take Test
Hawaii’s college-bound public and private school graduates are keeping pace with their peers when it comes to ACT scores.
The ACT average scores this week show that the 3,259 students who took the ACT exam this year earned a composite score of 21.3 out of a possible 36.0, compared with the national average of 21.1.
Their average score on the subtests roughly matched the composite score:
| Subtest | Hawaii | Nation |
|---|---|---|
| English | 20.6 | 20.6 |
| Math | 21.8 | 21.1 |
| Reading | 21.3 | 21.3 |
| Science Reasoning | 21.1 | 20.9 |
While the number participating in the ACT grew by 7 percent this year, the scores remained virtually unchanged from the averages in 2010, 2009 and 2008.
also includes a snapshot of the test-takers’ readiness for college and/or a career — a big topic of discussion under the state’s Race to the Top. Hawaii has promised that 100 percent of its high school graduates will be ready for college or a career, meaning they could enter college without requiring remedial courses. The state has not set a deadline for achieving that goal.
But in all four subjects, the percentage of Hawaii’s ACT-tested grads who met college readiness benchmarks was equal to or higher the national percentage.
| Subject | Hawaii | Nation |
|---|---|---|
| English | 68 | 66 |
| Reading | 52 | 52 |
| Math | 50 | 45 |
| Science | 30 | 30 |
| All Four Subjects | 25 | 25 |
While the ACT report includes data about both public and private high school students, it can still give us an inkling of how far Hawaii has to go before it meets its Race goal.
