Greenville County Schools High ACT Scores

Press release. Greenville County Schools’ students outperformed their peers at the state and national levels for the second year in a row on the American College Test (ACT), one of two major college entrance tests.

Greenville County School’s Class of 2010 posted an average score of 21.4 on the ACT’s 36-point scale, unchanged from 2009 and an increase of three-tenths of a point from the 2008 average score of 21.1. The number of GCS students taking the test increased by 11%, from 1,449 in 2009 to 1,612 this year.

The state average of 19.7 for public high school seniors remained unchanged from 2009, while the national average for public school seniors dipped slightly from 21.1 to 21.0. ACT considers a change of three-tenths of a point to be statistically significant, as one-tenth of an ACT point is comparable to four points on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT).

“I am extremely proud of our seniors as they continue to excel on the ACT college entrance test,” said Superintendent Dr. Phinnize J. Fisher. “The Class of 2010 outperformed their peers across the state and nation, a clear indicator that our focus on academic rigor is paying off for our graduates.”

Greenville County’s average ACT score of 21.4 ranks ninth among South Carolina’s 88 school districts. Districts with higher ACT results tested many fewer students, ranging from 58 to 652.

Over the past seven years, ACT results for Greenville County students have increased 1.3 points, while the number of students taking the ACT increased 80% from 895 students in 2004 to 1,612 students this year. For the same time period, national ACT results improved one-tenth of a point (.1).

Out of 204 South Carolina public high schools, eight of 14 Greenville County schools ranked in the top 25 percent for ACT results. Schools scoring in the top 25 percent of Palmetto state schools are: Riverside (#6 – 23.6); Eastside (#12 – 22.8); Mauldin (#16 – 22.5); J. L. Mann Academy (#17 – 22.2); Greenville (#27 – 21.6); Blue Ridge High (#35 – 21.3).Wade Hampton (#35 – 21.3); and Woodmont (#51 – 20.7).

The ACT is a test of curriculum-based and classroom-based achievement, meaning the ACT tests what students have learned.