Enter your ACT composite, or your English, Math, and Reading scores, to see your national percentile rank, how you compare with the class of 2026, which college readiness benchmarks you meet, and your SAT equivalent.
Official ACT figuresAverages from 1,463,293 students in the class of 2026Checked October 27, 2026
Jump to:Score rangeAverageWhat counts as goodPercentilesBenchmarksSAT equivalentFAQ
Step 1
Which scores do you have?
With section scores you also see which benchmarks you meet. Practice test scores work too.
Step 1
What is your ACT composite score?
From 1 to 36.
Step 1
What is your English score?
From 1 to 36.
Step 1
What is your Math score?
From 1 to 36.
Step 1
What is your Reading score?
From 1 to 36. Science is not part of the composite, so you can skip it.
Your results
ACT score range
- English, Math, Reading, and Science: 1 to 36 each. Science is optional.
- Composite: 1 to 36, the average of English, Math, and Reading, rounded to the nearest whole number. Fractions of one-half or more round up.
- STEM: the average of Math and Science, for students who take Science.
- Writing: 2 to 12, optional, and it does not affect the composite.
Science used to count toward the composite. ACT began leaving it out for national online tests in April 2025, and every test used the new calculation by September 2025.
Source: ACT, Understanding Your Scores.
Average ACT score
The average ACT composite for the class of 2026 was 19.2. Section averages were 18.2 in English, 19.0 in Math, 19.8 in Reading, and 19.4 in Science. That covers 1,463,293 graduates who took the ACT at least once in 10th, 11th, or 12th grade, about 38% of the class. For the class of 2025, the average composite was 19.4.
ACT uses each student's most recent test. Because the class of 2026 took tests both before and after the composite change, its average mixes the two formulas.
Sources: ACT Profile Report 2026, National; ACT, Class of 2026 Graduating Class Data; ACT, Class of 2025 Graduating Class Data.
What is a good ACT score?
It depends on what you want the score to do. Four useful lines:
- Above average: 20 or higher, since the class of 2026 averaged 19.2.
- Top quarter: 23 or higher. A 23 ranks at the 77th percentile.
- Top 10 percent: 28 or higher. A 28 ranks at the 91st percentile.
- College ready: meeting ACT's benchmarks of 18 in English, 22 in Math, and 22 in Reading. 23% of the class of 2026 met all three.
For admissions, the line that matters is each college's own range. Look up the middle 50% ACT range for every college on your list: a score inside it makes you a typical admit on scores, and a score above its 75th percentile helps. If you plan to send scores for merit aid, see how test scores can earn merit aid.
ACT percentiles (national ranks)
ACT's national rank is the percentage of recent ACT-tested high school graduates who earned your score or lower. The current ranks come from the graduating classes of 2024 to 2026 and are used for tests taken from September 2026 to August 2027.
| Score | Composite | English | Math | Reading | Science |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| 35 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 98 | 99 |
| 34 | 99 | 97 | 99 | 97 | 99 |
| 33 | 98 | 96 | 98 | 95 | 98 |
| 32 | 97 | 95 | 97 | 93 | 97 |
| 31 | 96 | 94 | 96 | 91 | 96 |
| 30 | 94 | 93 | 95 | 89 | 95 |
| 29 | 93 | 92 | 94 | 87 | 93 |
| 28 | 91 | 90 | 93 | 85 | 92 |
| 27 | 89 | 88 | 91 | 83 | 91 |
| 26 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 81 | 89 |
| 25 | 83 | 84 | 84 | 78 | 86 |
| 24 | 80 | 81 | 81 | 75 | 82 |
| 23 | 77 | 77 | 77 | 71 | 77 |
| 22 | 72 | 74 | 74 | 66 | 70 |
| 21 | 68 | 70 | 71 | 61 | 65 |
| 20 | 63 | 64 | 68 | 56 | 60 |
| 19 | 58 | 58 | 64 | 51 | 54 |
| 18 | 52 | 54 | 60 | 47 | 48 |
| 17 | 47 | 50 | 53 | 42 | 41 |
| 16 | 41 | 46 | 45 | 37 | 34 |
| 15 | 34 | 41 | 33 | 33 | 27 |
| 14 | 28 | 34 | 21 | 28 | 19 |
| 13 | 20 | 28 | 11 | 22 | 14 |
| 12 | 13 | 23 | 6 | 16 | 10 |
| 11 | 6 | 18 | 3 | 10 | 6 |
| 10 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| 9 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 8 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Source: ACT, Test Score Percentiles and National Ranks, 2026-2027.
ACT college readiness benchmarks
A student who meets a benchmark has a 50% chance of earning a B or higher, and about a 75 to 80% chance of earning a C or higher, in a matching first-year, credit-bearing college course.
| Test | Benchmark | Class of 2026 meeting it |
|---|---|---|
| English | 18 | 49% |
| Math | 22 | 30% |
| Reading | 22 | 39% |
| Science | 23 | 29% |
| STEM | 26 | 15% |
23% of the class of 2026 met all three benchmarks for English, Math, and Reading, and 45% met none of them.
Sources: ACT, College Readiness Benchmarks; ACT Profile Report 2026, National.
ACT scores on the SAT scale
The official concordance tables line up ACT and SAT scores. An ACT 24 lines up with an SAT 1180, a 28 with a 1310, and a 32 with a 1430. Our ACT to SAT converter does any score, and tells you which test is stronger if you have both.
To raise your score, start with an official practice test (ACT has free ones), score it with our ACT score calculator, and study the sections below the benchmark first. In the class of 2026, students who retested raised their composite by 1.1 points on average, from 20.7 on their first test to 21.8 on their most recent. If you will test more than once, read about score choice and superscoring, and combine your best sections with our ACT superscore calculator.
Source for the retest figures: ACT Profile Report 2026, National, page 13.
Get a plan built around your scores. Blake Jensen has nearly 20 years of experience helping students raise their SAT and ACT scores. He tutors in person in Carmel Valley and online over Zoom. Consultations are free: call or text him at (858) 367-0187, or book one below.
More about ACT tutoring, online ACT tutoring, ACT tutoring for high scorers, and converting scores between the SAT and ACT.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good ACT score?
Above average is 20 or higher, since the class of 2026 averaged 19.2. A 24 ranks at the 80th percentile, and 28 or higher puts you in the top 10 percent of recent ACT-tested graduates. For admissions, compare your score with the middle 50% range at each college on your list.
What is the average ACT score?
The average ACT composite for the class of 2026 was 19.2: 18.2 in English, 19.0 in Math, 19.8 in Reading, and 19.4 in Science, across 1,463,293 graduates.
Is a 24 a good ACT score?
Yes, a 24 is above the 19.2 average and ranks at the 80th percentile: 80% of recent ACT-tested graduates scored 24 or lower.
Is a 30 a good ACT score?
Yes. A 30 ranks at the 94th percentile of recent ACT-tested graduates.
What ACT score is in the top 10 percent?
28 or higher. ACT's national ranks put a 28 at the 91st percentile.
What is a perfect ACT score?
36, the top score for every section and for the composite.
How is the ACT composite score calculated?
It is the average of your English, Math, and Reading scores, rounded to the nearest whole number. Fractions of one-half or more round up. For example, 25, 27, and 28 average 26.67, which rounds to 27.
Does science count toward the ACT composite?
Not anymore. Science is optional and reported separately. ACT began leaving it out of the composite for national online tests in April 2025, and every test used the new calculation by September 2025.
What is a 24 ACT on the SAT?
A 24 lines up with an SAT 1180 in the official concordance tables, and every SAT total from 1160 to 1190 converts back to a 24.
Every score figure on this page comes from ACT or the official ACT/SAT concordance. We are independent tutors and are not affiliated with ACT. Last checked October 27, 2026.