Georgia high school students earned an average ACT score higher than the national average for the sixth year in a row.

ATLANTA — Georgia high school students earned an average ACT score of 21.6 this year, beating the national average of 19.8, according to new data from the state Department of Education. 

This is the sixth year in a row that Georgia’s average ACT score has topped the national average. The ACT is a standardized college admissions test similar to the SAT. 

Georgia students also beat the national average overall in each ACT subject: English, mathematics, reading, and science. The students also beat the national average for college readiness in each subject. 

The state’s average ACT score of 21.6 is down by one point from last year’s average of 22.6. 

The Georgia ACT results are similar to state SAT score trends. Georgia students beat the national average on the SAT this year, though the average score dipped slightly compared to the prior year. 

About 35,000 Georgia students in the graduating class of 2022 took the ACT, while 57,000 or so took the SAT. Some Georgia students may have taken both. 

“These students did not have an easy or typical high-school experience,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “The pandemic began during their sophomore year.

“Despite that, they have continued to beat the odds and find success — beating the nation on the ACT and SAT and recording an all-time-high graduation rate.” 

During the pandemic, many colleges and universities waived the standardized test requirements. 

Last month, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents announced the system will continue to waive the tests for admissions at most state colleges for another year. Emory University, a private institution in Atlanta, does not require students to submit their scores, though students may. 

This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.

Tags: ACT  standardized test  schools  Georgia  Atlanta