Staff Writer
A report released on Wednesday reveals a worrying trend in terms of the level of preparedness for college-level coursework among Arizona high school graduates. Specifically, in the year 2022, the ACT scores by Arizona’s high school graduates averaged 19.8 out of 36, hitting the lowest point in more than three decades. In addition, the number of students who failed to meet any of the subject-area benchmarks set by the ACT has also increased.
Among the graduates who have taken the ACT, 42% of them did not meet the subject benchmarks in English, reading, science, and math. This figure last year was 38%. As Arizona ranks below the national average on every testing metric, the decline of academic preparedness has not been a new emerging development in the state. In fact, it appears that the scores of students who take the ACT have declined steadily in recent years.
