What is the average ACT score?
The average ACT Composite score for the class of 2026 is 19.2 out of 36, according to ACT's graduating class data released on October 14, 2026. That is down from 19.4 for the class of 2025. The section averages are 18.2 in English, 19.0 in Math, 19.8 in Reading and 19.4 in Science.
In more detail
The numbers come from 1,463,293 graduates who took the ACT at least once, using each student's most recent score. ACT estimates that about 38 percent of all graduates took it. Participation moves the average a lot: states that test every student, such as Alabama (17.9) and Nevada (17.3), sit below the national number, while states where few students test, such as Connecticut (27.2) and New York (25.9), sit far above it.
The Composite changed in 2025. For tests taken since September 2025, the Composite is the average of English, Math and Reading, and Science is optional (93 percent of this class took it anyway). Earlier tests averaged all four sections. ACT's percentile table, built from graduates of 2024 to 2026, shows a Composite mean of 19.1 because it pools three classes.
Use the average as a reference point, not a goal. By ACT's 2026-2027 table, a 20 beats about 63 percent of recent graduates and a 24 beats about 80 percent. Your target colleges publish their own middle 50 percent ranges, and those ranges are what you compare yourself to.
ACT averages and percentiles
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Average Composite, class of 2026 | 19.2 |
| Average English | 18.2 |
| Average Math | 19.0 |
| Average Reading | 19.8 |
| Average Science | 19.4 |
| Composite 30 | Percentile 94 |
| Composite 28 | Percentile 91 |
| Composite 26 | Percentile 86 |
| Composite 24 | Percentile 80 |
| Composite 22 | Percentile 72 |
| Composite 20 | Percentile 63 |
| Composite 18 | Percentile 52 |
Step by step
- 1
Find the middle 50 percent ACT range of your target colleges on their admissions pages or in their Common Data Set.
- 2
Take a full official practice test and write down your Composite and each section score.
- 3
Compare your Composite with that range, not with 19.2.
- 4
Check each section against ACT's College Readiness Benchmarks: 18 in English, 22 in Math, 22 in Reading and 23 in Science.
- 5
Drill the section that sits furthest below its benchmark first, then take another practice test.
How StudyPDF helps
Beating the average takes practice on what you actually miss. Upload your class notes, handouts and worksheets, and StudyPDF builds flashcards, quizzes and practice exams from them, each answer linked to its source page. Your per-concept mastery shows which topics keep costing you points, so the next quiz drills them.
See also
- AnswerWhat is a good ACT score?
- AnswerWhat does GPA stand for?
- AnswerWhat does GPA mean?
- AnswerWhat is a great GPA?
- AnswerIs 30 a good ACT score?
- AnswerWhat is a perfect ACT score?
- AnswerWhat is the average SAT score?
- Practice testACT Practice Questions
- AnswerSAT vs ACT: which test should you take?
- StudyPDFAI Practice Exams
Do it on your own course
Upload your lectures and ask Bo. Cited answers, plus flashcards, exams, and more built from your material.
More questions
Did the average ACT score go down?
Slightly. The class of 2026 Composite is 19.2, down from 19.4 for the class of 2025. Since September 2025 the Composite averages three sections instead of four, so compare across years with care.
Is a 19 a good ACT score?
A 19 is right around the average. ACT's current table puts it at the 58th percentile, which means 58 percent of recent graduates scored 19 or lower.