Staff Writer

According to a report released by ACT last week, the average ACT scores of Georgia’s high school graduates this year was a full point lower than their peers the year before. Georgia’s class of 2021 score was 22.6 points, while this year the average composite score was 21.6 points. Nevertheless, Georgia’s seniors outperformed the national average by nearly 2 points, which means that Georgia has beat the national average for six consecutive years. 

A closer look at the report shows that the most significant decline in students’ performance is in the math section. Specifically, only 41% of the class met the college-readiness benchmarks this year. In contrast, half of the test takers in Georgia last year managed to meet the benchmarks. Due to the decline in scores, ACT has stated that it is “an urgent national priority and imperative” right now to take “sustained collective action” to help high school students.

Moreover, the SAT scores in the state also fell compared to last year’s numbers. The average statewide score was 1052, while in 2021 the average was 1077.