Administer ACT District Standardized Testing

The ACT has Evolved — Discover the ACT Enhancements
See What Changed

ACT District Testing Program Details

Welcome to ACT District Testing. Before you enroll, use the information below to help you plan and decide which assessment, test windows, and delivery will work best for your district or school.

Reminder: The enhanced ACT test has been fully rolled out to in-classroom administrations with Science optionality at the contract level. Please make sure when enrolling to choose one of the four available test types 1.) The ACT 2.) The ACT + Science 3.) The ACT + Writing or 4.) The ACT + Science + Writing. 

2026-27 Pricing

The ACT

Online
$56.25		 Paper
$60.50

The ACT + Science

Online
$56.25		 Paper
$60.50

The ACT + Writing

Online
$72.00		 Paper
$76.25

The ACT + Writing + Science

Online
$72.00		 Paper
$76.25

Note: There is no price difference regardless of whether you choose to offer the science section. You will be invoiced at the rates listed above.

Additional tiered discounts are available for districts with 50-100% of students in the Free and Reduced Lunch Program (FRLP). View pricing infographic.

2026-27 Key Dates and Deadlines

Districts may participate in only one of the two fall administrations and only one of the three spring administrations.

2026

2027

NEW!
Initial
Fall

Online Only

  • Enrollment / Signed Agreement & School List Deadline**: Aug. 26, 2026
  • Change In Participation Request(s) Deadline***: Aug. 26, 2026
  • Online Test Event 1: Sep. 29 - Oct. 2, 2026 & Oct. 5 - 9, 2026
  • Scores in ACT Online Reporting begins: Oct. 19 for ACT and ACT+Writing
Late
Fall

Online & Paper

  • Enrollment / Signed Agreement & School List Deadline**: Aug. 26, 2026
  • Change In Participation Request(s) Deadline***: Sep. 2, 2026
  • Paper Test Event 1: Oct. 13, 2026
  • Paper Test Event 2: Oct. 27, 2026
  • Online Test Event 1: Oct. 13-16 & Oct. 19-23, 2026
  • Online Test Event 2: Oct. 27-30 & Nov. 2-6, 2026
  • Scores for Test Event 1 in ACT Online Reporting begins: Nov. 2 for ACT and ACT+Writing
  • Scores for Test Event 2 in ACT Online Reporting begins: Nov. 16 for ACT and ACT+Writing
Initial
Spring

Online Only

  • Enrollment / Signed Agreement & School List Deadline**: Jan. 20, 2027
  • Change In Participation Request(s) Deadline***: Jan. 20, 2027
  • Online Test Event: Feb. 23-26 & March 1-5, 2027
  • Scores in ACT Online Reporting begins: March 22 for ACT and April 5 for ACT+Writing
Early
Spring

Online & Paper

  • Enrollment / Signed Agreement & School List Deadline**: Jan. 20, 2027
  • Change In Participation Request(s) Deadline***: Jan. 27, 2027
  • Paper Test Event 1: March 9, 2027
  • Paper Test Event 2: March 23, 2027
  • Online Test Event 1: March 9-12 & March 15-19, 2027
  • Online Test Event 2: March 23-26 & March 29 - April 2, 2027
  • Scores for Test Event 1 in ACT Online Reporting begins: March 29 for ACT and April 5 for ACT+Writing
  • Scores for Test Event 2 in ACT Online Reporting begins: April 12 for ACT and ACT+Writing
Late
Spring

Online & Paper

  • Enrollment / Signed Agreement & School List Deadline**: Feb. 17, 2027
  • Change In Participation Request(s) Deadline***: Feb. 24, 2027
  • Paper Test Event 1: April 6, 2027
  • Paper Test Event 2: April 20, 2027
  • Online Test Event 1: April 6-9 & April 12-16, 2027
  • Online Test Event 2: April 20-23 & April 26-30, 2027
  • Scores for Test Event 1 in ACT Online Reporting begins: April 26 for ACT and ACT+Writing
  • Scores for Test Event 2 in ACT Online Reporting begins: May 10 for ACT and ACT+Writing

**Standard Administration (connect with us for more info on accommodation test window dates) 
***The Change In Participation Deadline is the last date to make any changes to an existing contract for your chosen administration, or to change your existing contract into a new administration.

Bundled Pricing

Order ACT® District Testing and PreACT® and/or PreACT® 8/9 together to receive bundled pricing discounts. No discount code necessary — billing is adjusted automatically. 

Requires an ACT District Testing contract. Bundled discount is $1 off per student on PreACT and/or PreACT 8/9.

$1 Off Per Student

ACT Research · 32 States

Why PreACT is Worth adding — Outcomes for Your Students

~+1 pt

Composite average · 20.94 vs. 19.94

Higher ACT Scores
Students who took PreACT averaged 1 Composite point higher on the ACT than those who didn't — across 32 states. That's a measurable return on a $19–$20 per-student investment. 

+8.6 pts

English Composition readiness rate

Greater College Readiness
PreACT-tested students were more likely to meet ACT College Readiness Benchmarks — with readiness rate advantages of up to 8.6 percentage points for English Composition.

Equity Data

by ethnicity and family income 

Identify Opportunity Gaps Early 
Research surfaces achievement gaps by ethnicity and family income — and shows much of the difference is due to course rigor and school characteristics, giving districts a clear lever to act on. 

Source: PreACT®-Tested Students in the 2025 ACT®-Tested Graduating Class: A Summary of Performance and Growth

Additional Information

Access each administration’s complete list of dates and deadlines for accommodations, administration site opening, changes in participation, cancellations, and more.   

Back to Top

Districts may choose from four test options. All participating schools in a district must test using the same test option. 

Important: The chart below displays the test options available on the enrollment form for fall 2026 and spring 2027. 

Enrolling for Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 Testing

Test Option(s) Sections Included
The ACT (No Science or Writing) English, Math, and Reading.
The ACT + Science (No Writing) English, Math, Reading, and Science.
The ACT + Writing (No Science) English, Math, Reading, and Writing
The ACT + Science + Writing English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing
Back to Top

The district test coordinator will be our primary contact for the ACT District Testing program. During the implementation phase, we ask that this coordinator serve as the liaison among schools, district officials, and ACT. 

During subsequent phases (school establishment, training, materials delivery, administration, and some post-exam activities), we will work directly with the schools. From time to time, we may still ask for the coordinator’s assistance. 

Once testing is completed, we will send the district test coordinator all district-level reports and an invoice based on the number of students tested and the type of test administered. 

District test coordinators may also be the school test coordinator at individual schools participating in ACT District Testing.

Back to Top

Explore ACT Score Reporting

Monitor student progress to easily improve classroom success and predict academic performance. Gain deeper insights from ACT data that are interactive, consumable, and downloadable.

State, district, school, or student reports and data are available* for PreACT assessments, ACT District Testing programs, and ACT national tests. (*based on access)

Preparing for ACT District Testing

Leading up to your administration date, explore the programs and resources available to prepare students and educators for success.

 

Early Indicator
of Success

 

Offer 8th, 9th, and 10th graders early experience with ACT® test items through PreACT®. Get a predicted ACT test score, and insights to help guide students on their path to college and career readiness. ACT District Testing customers get a discount for PreACT. 

Prepare Students Earlier

Discover More K-12 Resources aligned to the most common topics and themes in K-12 education.

Ready to Bring the ACT to Your Students?