Your national ranks tell you how your scores compare to those earned by recent high school graduates who took the ACT. The numbers indicate the percentage of students who scored at or below a given score.
What's an ACT Score Percentile Ranking?
An ACT score percentile ranking compares your score to those of other test-takers, helping to measure your performance. Colleges use this ranking to assess and compare applicants.
National Ranks for English, Math, Reading, Science, Composite, and STEM Scores
· Based on ACT-tested high school graduates of 2022, 2023, and 2024
· Used for ACT tests taken from September 2024 through August 2025
How to use the table: Using the leftmost column, find the row for one of your content area test scores or your Composite score. Next, find the national rank in the column corresponding to that test. For example, the national rank for a Composite score of 22 is 71. This means that 71 percent of recent high school graduates who took the ACT achieved a Composite score of 22 or lower. Similarly, the national rank for a STEM score of 26 is 88. Thus, 88 percent of recent high school graduates who took the ACT achieved a STEM score of 26 or lower.
· Based on the subset of ACT-tested high school graduates of 2022, 2023, and 2024 who took the ACT Writing test
· Used for ACT tests taken from September 2024 through August 2025
ACT Score National Ranks for ELA and Writing Test Scores
Score
ELA
Writing
36
100
100
35
99
99
34
99
99
33
99
98
32
99
98
31
99
97
30
97
96
29
96
94
28
95
93
27
93
91
26
91
88
25
89
84
24
86
80
23
83
77
22
79
73
21
74
70
20
69
67
19
63
63
18
58
59
17
51
52
16
45
43
15
39
31
14
32
19
13
26
9
12
20
100
11
14
99
10
10
99
9
6
97
8
4
93
7
2
73
6
1
61
5
1
33
4
1
20
3
1
8
2
1
3
1
1
Mean
17.8
6.1
SD
5.9
1.8
Note: These ranks are reported as “US Rank” on ACT score reports during the 2024-2025 reporting year (September 2024 through August 2025). The ranks are based on ACT-tested high school graduates of 2022, 2023, and 2024 who took the ACT Writing test (n=1,083,008).
How to use the table: Using the leftmost column, find the row for your ELA or writing score. Next, find the national rank in the column corresponding to that test. For example, the national rank for a writing score of 9 is 97. This means that 97 percent of recent high school graduates who took the ACT writing test achieved a writing score of 9 or lower.
An ACT subscore percentile reflects the percentage of test-takers who scored at or below your score in a particular section of the ACT. Percentiles are an essential measure for understanding your performance on the test.
Using the ACT Score Percentiles and Rankings in your College Search
Find the ACT score range for each college.
When researching colleges, check the 25th and 75th percentile ACT scores for admitted students to understand the middle 50% score range.
Compare your ACT score to the college's range.
If your ACT score is within the middle 50% of a college's admitted students, you are considered a competitive applicant.
Identify "reach," "match," and "safety" schools:
Reach schools: Colleges where your ACT score is near the top of their range typically indicate a more competitive admissions process..
Match schools: Colleges where your ACT score falls firmly within their middle 50% range typically indicate a good fit for your application.
Safety schools: Colleges where your ACT score is well above their middle 50% range suggest a higher likelihood of acceptance.
View Your Scores
Create or sign in to your ACT web account for access to your scores anytime, anywhere. Scores are processed and added each week, so start checking two weeks after your test date.
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