Recently, the Tennessee Department of Education (department) released the ACT state results and participation rate for the graduating class of 2025. Thanks to the efforts of schools and districts encouraging student participation on the ACT, the overall statewide participation rate for the 2025 graduating class was 99 percent. The state average composite ACT score was 19.3 in 2025, remaining unchanged from 2024.
The ACT provides important measures to understand students’ college and career readiness and how the state prepares the next generation to transition to postsecondary opportunities. Tennessee’s award-winning ACT Senior Retake program offers public high school students the opportunity to take the ACT twice for free during normal school hours.
Each year, the department releases statewide ACT results for the most recent graduating class, representing each student’s highest ACT score. The 2024-25 graduating class’s ACT results are available on the department’s Data Downloads webpage.
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“We are committed to empowering every Tennessee student to participate in essential readiness programs like the ACT, ensuring they are fully prepared and confident in their postsecondary choices,” said Lizzette Reynolds, Commissioner of Education. “We are incredibly proud of our districts, schools, and public charters for their unwavering dedication to guiding students toward bright futures and for continually expanding educational opportunities for all.”
The percent scoring 21 or higher for the following school districts: Bedford County 27.8% at 100% participation rate Moore County 50% at 100% participation rate Coffee County 36.2% at 100% participation rate Tullahoma City 41.5% at 100% participation rate Franklin County 28.2%at 100% participation rate
A 21 on the ACT is a solid, above-average score (around the 50th-60th percentile), competitive for many mid-tier state universities but below the typical range for highly selective colleges, requiring strong applications otherwise; it’s roughly equivalent to a 1080 SAT score and indicates readiness for college-level work, though aiming higher (24+) can unlock more selective schools and scholarships
Statewide highlights of the 2024-25 ACT state results:
114 districts (87.7 percent) had a participation rate of 99 percent or higher in 2025 compared to 113 (87.6 percent) districts in 2024. The statewide average ACT composite score was 19.3. It was unchanged from 2024, yet with some minor growth observed for some student groups: Economically disadvantaged students increased from 16.6 to 16.7 (0.1 points increase). English learners increased from 13.6 to 14.6 (1.0 points increase). Students with disabilities increased from 14.9 to 15.0 (0.1 points increase). More than 99 percent of public charter school students participated in ACT testing in 2025.The overall public charter school average composite score increased from 17.1 in 2024 to 17.6 in 2025 (0.5 points increase). English learners increased from 14.3 to 15.3 (1.0 points increase). Economically disadvantaged students increased from 16.2 to 16.8 (0.6 points increase). More than one-third (37.2 percent) of the 2025 graduating cohort met the ACT benchmark, scoring at least a 21 on the ACT, with improvement observed for some student groups from last year to this year: Economically disadvantaged students increased from 17.7 to 18.3 percent (0.6 percentage points increase). English learners increased from 2.3 to 6.3 (4.0 percentage points increase). Students with disabilities increased from 8.6 to 9.2 percent (0.6 percentage points increase).
District highlights of the 2024-25 ACT results:
129 districts (99.2 percent) met the 95 percent ACT participation rate in 2025, compared to 127 (98.4 percent) districts in 2024. Williamson County Schools had the highest percentage of all students meeting the ACT benchmark (79 percent), scoring at least a 21 on the ACT, followed by Germantown Municipal Schools(73.8 percent) and Collierville Schools (69.4 percent). Districts that demonstrated significant growth in the percentage of students meeting the ACT benchmark, scoring at least a 21 on the ACT, from 2024 to 2025 are highlighted below:Moore County Schools demonstrated a 20.2 percentage points increase from 29.8 percent in 2024 to 50.0 percent in 2025. Jackson County Schools demonstrated a 19.3 percentage points increase from 22.0 percent in 2024 to 41.3 percent in 2025. Bledsoe County Schools demonstrated a 13.7 percentage points increase from 22.7 percent in 2024 to 36.4 percent in 2025. Crockett County Schools demonstrated a 13.1 percentage points increase from 24.6 percent in 2024 to 37.7 percent in 2025. Clay County Schools demonstrated a 12.6 percentage points increase from 23.8 percent in 2024 to 36.4 percent in 2025.Districts that demonstrated significant growth in the percentage of students meeting the ACT benchmark, scoring at least a 21 on the ACT, among student groups from 2024 to 2025 are highlighted below: In Kingsport City Schools, Black or African American students demonstrated a 14.3 percentage points increase from 19.0 percent in 2024 to 33.3 percent in 2025. In Jackson County Schools, economically disadvantaged students demonstrated a 26.4 percentage points increase from 11.4 percent in 2024 to 37.8 percent in 2025. In Williamson County Schools, English learners demonstrated a 17.1 percentage points increase from 20.0 percent in 2024 to 37.1 percent in 2025. In Loudon County Schools, Hispanic students demonstrated a 13.6 percentage points increase from 31.9 percent in 2024 to 45.5 percent in 2025. In Collierville Schools, students with disabilities demonstrated a 10.0 percentage points increase from 16.4 percent in 2024 to 26.4 percent in 2025.
ACT/SAT results serve as a nationally normed measure to indicate college and career readiness. Under Tennessee’s accountability systems, earning a score of 21 on the ACT or earning a score of 1060 on the SAT is one of the four pathways indicating that students are prepared for career and/or postsecondary education after high school.
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