TDOE Releases 2023-24 ACT State Results and Participation Rate Data

99 Percent Statewide Participation Rate; Improvement Observed for All Students

Nashville, TN - Today, the Tennessee Department of Education released the ACT state results and participation rate for the graduating class of 2024. Thanks to efforts by schools and districts to encourage student participation on the ACT, the overall statewide participation rate for the 2024 graduating class was 99 percent. In addition, the state average composite ACT score increased from 19.0 in 2023 to 19.3 in 2024.

The ACT provides important measures to understand students' college and career readiness and how Tennessee prepares the next generation to transition to postsecondary opportunities. Through Tennessee's award-winning ACT Senior Retake program, the state offers public high school students the opportunity to take the ACT two times 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 2023-24 graduating class's ACT results are available on the department's Data Downloads webpage.

"Tennessee strives to support every student in their college and career aspirations, including preparing them for the ACT assessment that can open up additional postsecondary scholarships and opportunities," said Lizzette Reynolds, Commissioner of Education. "We commend districts and schools for their collective effort in improving the average composite score across the state."

Statewide highlights of the 2023-24 ACT state results include:

• 78 districts (61%) had a rate of 99 percent or higher in 2024 compared to 75 districts in 2023.
• The statewide average ACT composite score increased slightly for the 2024 graduating cohort (19.3) in comparison to the 2023 (19.0) graduating cohort with growth observed for some student groups:
  • Black/Hispanic/Native American students increased from 16.6 to 16.8 (0.2 points increase)
  • Economically disadvantaged students increased from 16.3 to 16.6 (0.3 points increase)
  • Students with disabilities increased from 14.7 to 14.9 (0.2 points increase)
• More than one third (37.7 percent) of the 2024 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:
  • Black/Hispanic/Native American students increased from 17.3 to 19.5 percent (2.2 percentage points increase)
  • Economically disadvantaged students increased from 15.8 to 17.7 percent (1.9 percentage points increase)
  • Students with disabilities increased from 6.7 to 8.6 percent (1.9 percentage points increase)

District highlights of the 2023-24 ACT results include:

• 127 districts (98%) met the 95 percent ACT participation rate in 2024 compared to 129 districts (99%) in 2023.
• Williamson County Schools had the highest percentage of all students meeting the ACT benchmark (78.7 percent), scoring at least a 21 on the ACT, followed by Germantown Municipal Schools (71.8 percent) and Maryville City Schools (67.3 percent).
• Districts that demonstrated significant growth in the percentage of students meeting the ACT benchmark, scoring at least a 21 on the ACT, from 2023 to 2024 are highlighted below:
  • Oneida Special School District demonstrated a 22.6 percentage points increase from 20.4 percent in 2023 to 43.0 percent in 2024.
  • Millington Municipal Schools demonstrated a 15.6 percentage points increase from 23.0 percent in 2023 to 38.6 percent in 2024.
  • Tullahoma City Schools demonstrated a 15.1 percentage points increase from 31.1 percent in 2023 to 46.2 percent in 2024.
  • Sequatchie County Schools demonstrated a 13.8 percentage points increase from 25.0 percent in 2023 to 38.8 percent in 2024.
  • Meigs County Schools demonstrated a 13.4 percentage points increase from 18.3 percent in 2023 to 31.7 percent in 2024.
• 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 2023 to 2024 are highlighted below:
  • In Tullahoma City Schools, Black or African American students demonstrated an 18.5 percentage points increase from 18.2 percent in 2023 to 36.7 percent in 2024.
  • In Hickman County Schools, economically disadvantaged students demonstrated a 15.4 percentage points increase from 9.9 percent in 2023 to 25.3 percent in 2024.
  • In Jackson-Madison County Schools, English learners demonstrated a 5.7 percentage points increase from 0.0 percent in 2023 to 5.7 percent in 2024.
  • In Oak Ridge Schools, Hispanic students demonstrated an 18.7 percentage points increase from 31.3 percent in 2023 to 50.0 percent in 2024.
  • In Maryville City Schools, students with disabilities demonstrated a 26.1 percentage points increase from 8.3 percent in 2023 to 34.4 percent in 2024).

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.

For Tennessee Department of Education media inquiries, contact [email protected].

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