School-level ACT scores show frightening declines since 2015 in Kansas

(The Sentinel) – ACT scores for individual high schools in Kansas show concerning declines since 2015 in most cases.

The statewide composite in 2015 was 21.9 but fell steadily to perhaps the lowest level in at least recent history, 19.4, in 2023. College readiness in English, Reading, Math, and Science dropped by 32% in 2015 to just 19% in 2023.

ACT defines college readiness as having at least a 50% chance of getting a B on an entry-level college course or a 75% chance of getting a C.

In 2015, 144 high schools (39% of all high schools) had a composite score of at least 21.9, but now only 5%—just 19 schools—fit that profile. Not all private schools report results to the Kansas Department of Education, which is the source of the school-level ACT scores.

The table below lists the 19 high schools; six are private schools, and 13 are public schools. Only two of the 19 have higher scores than in 2015—Accelerated High School, a private school in Overland Park, and Weskan High School, a public school in Wallace County.

Statewide, only 11 high schools had better ACT scores in 2023 than in 2015, and scores were the same in three schools.

2024 results will be available in October.

Participation rates can affect ACT scores

Wide disparity in participation rates across the states invalidates straight comparisons to every state. East Coast states tend to have very few students taking the ACT because Eastern universities rely more on SAT scores. A state with, say, only 10% of graduates taking the ACT is likely to have a higher score because those students are probably near the top of their class.

The Kansas participation rate has mostly been in the low 70s, but it rose to 82% in 2020 when the Legislature began paying the fee for any student who wants to take the ACT. The Kansas Department of Education attempted to dismiss the score decline that year due to higher participation, but history shows the participation rate had little effect. Composite scores have continued to decline since then, even though participation is back in the low 70s.

Participation was 74% in 2023, the same as in 2015 and 2016, but the 2023 state average score is much lower.

Participation rates are not available at the school level.