New Data/Report: ACT’s “The Condition of College & Career Readiness 2016”

From ACT:

The report shows that close to two-thirds (64 percent) of this year’s graduating seniors took the ACT^® test, an all-time high. That compares to 59 percent last year and 52 percent in 2012.
Key national findings from this year’s report include:

• This is the largest, most diverse group of graduates—a record 2.1 million students—ever to take the ACT or any national college admission exam. This is the 12th straight year that the number of ACT-tested graduates has grown to a new high.

• Among 2016 graduates, 38 percent met the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks in at least three of the four core subject areas tested (English, math, reading, and science), indicating they have strong readiness for college coursework. This is a slight decrease from 40 percent in 2015.

• Since 2012, students meeting the new ACT STEM College Readiness Benchmark, which is a combined measure of math and science, have earned significantly higher science scores, while their math scores have remained flat.
• The majority (57 percent) of 2016 graduates took the ACT only once.

• Health sciences/technologies remains the most popular group of college major/career choices among graduates.

Direct to Full Text Report (20 pages; PDF)
See Also: Report Highlights: Infographic (1 page; PDF)

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