ACT: Minnesota high schoolers tops
Minnesota high school graduates continue to beat the national average in the ACT college entrance exam.
The test measures how proficient students are in English, reading, math and science. It's also a good indicator of whether students are ready for college level courses.
Minnesota's 2012 high school graduates scored an average of 22.8 points out of a possible 36.
That's a tenth of a point lower than last year, but ACT spokesman Ed Colby says it's still more than a point and a half higher than the nation's average.
"Minnesota has been at the top of the list in terms of achievement for a number of years and remains there this year. By far the strong achieving states in terms of college readiness."
Some states with a small percentage of students taking the test did post higher averages than Minnesota, but ACT only compares states where a majority of students take the test, giving Minnesota its top ranking.
Officials say 74 percent of 2012 Minnesota high school graduates took the ACT.
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