ACT Class of 2026 Data: 1,463,293 Test-Takers, Mean Composite of 19.2, With 23.1% Meeting All Three Benchmarks
IOWA CITY, Johnson County, Iowa — ACT released its graduating class data for 2026 on October 14. A total of 1,463,293 students in the 2026 U.S. ACT graduating class took the ACT at least once between 10th and 12th grade, representing an estimated 38% of projected high school graduates, with participation increased from the 2025 graduating class. The average ACT Composite score for the class of 2026 was 19.2, about the same as the 2025 class's 19.4, and 23.1% of students met all three ACT College Readiness Benchmarks in English, Math and Reading, about the same as in 2025.
Average section scores were 18.2 in English (18.4 for the class of 2025), 19.0 in Math (18.9) and 19.8 in Reading (20.0). ACT notes that, beginning with tests taken in September 2025, the Composite score is the average of the English, Math and Reading scores, with Science optional and no longer counted in the Composite, while most tests taken before September 2025 included Science; the class figures use each student's most recent test from the past three years.
ACT's policy report also shows that about 31% of the class tested more than once, and that retesters gained an average of 1.1 Composite points from their first attempt to their latest. The full results, including state-level detail, are published in ACT's 2026 graduating class data release and National Profile Report.
(Source: ACT)
Source: ACT
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：考生参加笔试（资料图）。DC Central Kitchen 摄，CC BY 2.0，经 Flickr。 / Photo: Students taking a written exam (file photo). Photo by DC Central Kitchen, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr.
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