Shining a light on education & government in TennesseeShining a light on education & government in TennesseeTennessee tests every public school junior on the ACT. Search the real composite and subject averages, see how many students clear the 21-point college-readiness benchmark, and compare any school to the statewide line.
Tennessee is one of only a handful of states that requires every eleventh-grader to take the ACT, free of charge. That makes the score on this dashboard a true population measure: not a self-selected sample of college-bound students, but every Tennessee junior in a public school. Read the scores accordingly.
Filter by school, district, or county. Sort by composite. Every card shows composite, all four subject averages, the percent of students at 21+, and the count of valid tests.
The 21 Benchmark: A composite of 21 marks the college-readiness line, students at or above have roughly a 50% chance of earning a B or higher in first-year college courses, and clear one of the four Ready Graduate pathways. Currently 62 of 405 schools (15.3%) post a composite at or above 21.
Tennessee high schools binned by composite. Universal testing means every junior is counted.
Rutherford County · Rutherford County
Sumner County · Sumner County
Davidson County · Davidson County
Sumner County · Sumner County
Williamson County · Williamson County
Williamson County · Williamson County
Davidson County · Davidson County
Montgomery County · Montgomery County
Hamilton County · Hamilton County
Williamson County · Williamson County
Williamson County · Williamson County
Knox County · Knox County
Four pieces of context matter when you read these numbers. Take them together; in isolation, each one is a half-truth.
Every public school junior in Tennessee takes the ACT during the spring testing window, free of charge. The state average reflects the full student population, not just the college-bound.
The composite is the average of four subject tests: English, math, reading, and science. Each subject is scored on the same 1 to 36 scale.
A composite of 21 or higher is one of the six Ready Graduate pathways. The ACT’s own subject-level college-readiness benchmarks vary by test.
Schools with fewer than ten students tested have their scores suppressed in line with FERPA. Empty cells in the data tool mean suppressed, not zero.
Universal testing means the state can see the readiness picture for every graduating senior, not just the students who chose to test. It also surfaces students who never planned on college but score college-ready, opening doors that would otherwise stay closed.
A 21 composite is the national college-readiness benchmark on the ACT. Students at or above 21 are statistically more likely to earn a B or better in entry-level college courses. It is also one of the six Ready Graduate pathways in Tennessee.
Tennessee tests close to 100 percent of juniors, which mechanically pulls the state average down compared to states where only college-bound students self-select into the test. The right comparison is state-to-state when both test all students.
Yes. The state covers one retake of the ACT for any junior who wants to improve a score. Many schools build a retake day into the senior year. Students may also take additional ACTs on their own at a national test center.
ACT scores come from the Tennessee Department of Education school-level ACT file, published as part of the annual State Report Card. Composite and subject scores are the school-level averages for the tested junior cohort.
Schools with fewer than ten students tested have their scores suppressed. An empty cell in the data tool means suppressed, not zero. The composite is the four-subject average; subject scores can drift significantly from the composite for any given school.
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Subscribe to The SignalACT 21+ is one of six Ready Graduate pathways. Pair this dashboard with Ready Graduate Rates and Flight Scores to see the whole picture.
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