21.1
The ACT test is based out of 36 points, with scores ranging from 1 to 36. The average ACT score of all 1.4 million test takers nationwide remains consistent from year to year, and was just above 21.1 in 2012. Almost 30% of ACT takers score between a 19 and 23. 55% of all ACT takers score between 17 and 25. The average ACT score in each state fluctuates. The states with the highest average ACT test scores were Massachusetts (23.6), Connecticut (23.3), New York (23.1), and Washington (23.1). My alma mater, the University of South Carolina has an average ACT score of 25. This is 4 points over the national ACT average score As a reminder of what this means: 25th percentile means that 25% of the students attending have a score at or below that number (this is below average). 75th percentile means that 75% of students have a score at or below that number. In essence, this covers the middle 50% of all students admitted to U Alabama.  The average national composite score is 21, however this varies by state. Most highly selective schools are composed of students who have an average ACT score of between 28 and 36, while many selective schools contain a student body ACT score average of 23-28. 1 is the lowest while 36 is the highest score that one can achieve. The national composite or total ACT score average is around 21. The national average for the Reading exam is also about 21. In addition, the Mathematics national average is 21, while the English and Science exam scores are about 20 to 20.8. We’ve compiled the average ACT scores by state, as well as the average in each subject area, using the latest data from the test makers. Read on to learn how your state – and your score – compares to the rest of the country. Hawaii earns the dubious honor of getting the lowest average ACT score, with an average composite of 18.2. They also got the overall lowest subject area score, a 16.9 average on English. However, this is likely because Hawaii has been rapidly expanding the use of the ACT in recent years. Those four scores are then averaged to generate the composite score used by most colleges. The average composite score is roughly a 21. That is, about 50% of test-takers score below a 21. For students who took the ACT with writing, the writing section is scored on a 12-point scale. The average score is between 7 and 8. Very few students get a perfect ACT score, even those who get into the country's top colleges. In fact, anyone scoring a 34, 35 or 36 is among the top 1% of test-takers in the country. The table above shows the middle 50% range of ACT scores for different schools.  (Remember that each ACT section, and the overall composite score, are scored between 1 and 36. For more on ACT scoring, check out our guide .). This means that if you get a composite of 21 or higher, you will beat out half of the other high school students in the country. Hawaii earns the dubious honor of getting the lowest average ACT score, with an average composite of 18.2. They also got the overall lowest subject area score, a 16.9 average on English. However, this is likely because Hawaii has been rapidly expanding the use of the ACT in recent years. A sampling of ACT admissions scores shows that the 75th percentile composite score was 24.1 at public four-year institutions and 25.3 at private four-year institutions. It is recommended that students check with their prospective institutions directly to understand ACT admissions requirements. (The subject score is not the sum of the subscores.) The composite score is the average of all four tests. In addition, students taking the optional writing test receive a writing score ranging from 1 to 36 (This is a change from the previous 2-12 score range). National and Other Averages. Nationally, in 2013, the average ACT composite score was 20.9 with a maximum score of 36. The average national scores were 20.2 for English, 20.9 for mathematics, 21.1 for reading and 20.7 for science, with 54 percent of all high school graduates tested. State average composite scores ranged from 18.7 to 24.1.  Most colleges admit students with a 20-22 ACT Composite Score. 75% means that 75 per cent of the admissions require this composite score, while the 25 per cent means that 25% get in with the lesser composite ACT, usually because of high GPA and/or extracurricular activities. I’ll give the school and then two numbers. 
http://www.testcrew.org/ http://blog.prepscholar.com/average-act-score http://www.testcrew.org/test/ http://blog.prepscholar.com/act-scores-by-state-averages-highs-and-lows http://collegeapps.about.com/od/theact/f/goodactscore.htm http://blog.prepscholar.com/act-scores-by-state-averages-highs-and-lows https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACT_(test) http://www.ehow.com/about_5412720_average-act-score.html http://www.askdeb.com/education/what-is-an-average-act-score/
what is an average act score