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College Readiness of ACT Test Takers by Race/Ethnicity
College readiness indicators of 2012 Minnesota test takers. Minnesota students of color were less college ready overall than white students for college-level English, social science, algebra, and biology.
| Total number of test takers | English ACT Score | English College Ready: Percent score of 18 or higher | Reading ACT Score | Social Science College Ready: Percent Score of 21 or higher | Mathematics ACT Score | Algebra College Ready: Percent score of 22 or higher | Science ACT Score | Biology College Ready: Percent score of 24 or higher | ACT Composite Score | Percent College Ready in All Four Subject Areas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Students | 44,977 | 22.1 | 78 | 22.9 | 64 | 23.0 | 62 | 22.7 | 42 | 22.8 | 36 |
| American Indian | 211 | 18.7 | 55 | 21.1 | 50 | 20.4 | 37 | 20.4 | 21 | 20.3 | 16 |
| Asian | 2,628 | 19.1 | 55 | 20.1 | 42 | 21.9 | 51 | 20.9 | 28 | 20.7 | 23 |
| Black | 2,047 | 16.5 | 41 | 18.0 | 28 | 18.3 | 22 | 18.1 | 11 | 17.9 | 8 |
| Hispanic | 1,757 | 19.3 | 59 | 20.7 | 49 | 20.6 | 42 | 20.6 | 25 | 20.4 | 20 |
| Native Hawaiian/Other Pac. Isl. | 45 | 18.9 | 51 | 19.6 | 36 | 19.5 | 31 | 19.6 | 16 | 19.5 | 13 |
| Two or More Races | 1,459 | 21.5 | 73 | 22.6 | 62 | 22.1 | 55 | 22.1 | 36 | 22.2 | 31 |
| White | 35,159 | 22.8 | 83 | 23.5 | 69 | 23.5 | 67 | 23.3 | 46 | 23.4 | 39 |
ACT has determined specific benchmark scores in each subject tested as the minimum scores needed in the subject area to have a 75 percent chance of obtaining a C or higher in corresponding credit-bearing college courses.
ACT has defined the minimum core high school courses as 4 years of English and at least 3 years each in social science, mathematics, and natural science. Recent research by ACT shows that it is the rigor of high school courses, rather than the number of courses, that best prepares students for life beyond high school. Students who take and work hard in courses such as physics and advanced math classes beyond Algebra II are more most likely to be college ready.
Percent of Minnesota Test-takers Meeting All Four ACT College Readiness Benchmark Scores
Source: ACT
