Georgia ACT scores decrease

ATLANTA — Georgia’s class of 2026 scored lower on the ACT than the class of 2025, but they still beat the national average.

Georgia’s 2026 graduates who took the college admissions test after their freshman year earned an average composite score of 20.9, down half a point from the score of the prior year’s graduates.

Because the composite no longer includes science, the two years are not exact comparisons.

The score topped the national average for the 10th year in a row, according to the Georgia Department of Education.

State School Superintendent Richard Woods attributed the performance to “the refinements we’ve made” in K-12 public education.

The national average also fell, but by a smaller amount: 0.2 points, to 19.2.

Georgia’s class of 2026 performed best in reading, with a 21.8 state average. The next highest score, 21.2 in science, came with a caveat: that test became optional in 2025 and results after August of that year no longer affected the composite score.

The average math score was 20.5, followed by English at 19.9.

The ACT results follow SAT results released earlier this fall. Georgia’s public school class of 2026 had a mean SAT score of 1031, up two points from the class of 2025. Math scores rose four points, but reading and writing slipped one point.