Hamilton County students’ performance on the ACT college entrance exam held largely steady this past year.
Hamilton County Schools’ class of 2024 had an average composite ACT score of 18.7, up slightly from 18.6 the year before, according to new data released by the Tennessee Department of Education.
County students scored below state and national averages on the exam. The state average was 19.3, and the national average was 19.4, according to the ACT organization.
(READ MORE: Hamilton County high school graduation rate rises to 93%, surpassing state average)
The ACT is scored on a scale of 1-36, meaning the lowest possible score is 1. A composite score is calculated by taking the average of the scores for each section — English, math, reading and science — and rounding up.
In Tennessee, a score of 21 is used as an indicator of college readiness.
Roughly 35% of Hamilton County’s 2024 graduating class scored a composite of 21 or higher, while more than half, 55.2%, scored below a 19.
Average ACT composite score by school
— Hamilton County Collegiate High: 25.9
— Chattanooga High Center for Creative Arts: 24.8
— Signal Mountain Middle/High School: 23.9
— STEM School Chattanooga: 23.2
— Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences: 23
— East Hamilton High School: 21
— Soddy Daisy High School: 21
— Sale Creek Middle/High School: 20.3
— Ivy Academy: 19.5
— Hixson High School: 19.3
— Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy: 19.3
— Ooltewah High School: 18.6
— Red Bank High School: 17.7
— Lookout Valley Middle/High School: 17.3
— Hamilton County Virtual School: 17.3
— Central High School: 17.2
— Sequoyah High School: 15.9
— Tyner Academy: 15.9
— East Ridge High School: 15.4
— The Howard School: 14.4
— Brainerd High School: 14
Source: Tennessee Department of Education
Just over half of district high schools exceeded the state’s average ACT composite score rate with seven schools having an average score at 21 or higher. Four high schools — Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy, East Hamilton High, The Howard School and Sale Creek Middle/High — increased their average score by more than one point compared to the previous year.
(READ MORE: Teenager’s family sues Hamilton County Schools over use of threats law)
One school district in Southeast Tennessee had students score higher than the state average — Tullahoma City Schools, with an average composite score of 20.3. McMinn County Schools’ students matched the statewide average.
In Hamilton County, English learners and students with disabilities had the lowest composite score averages. English learners had an average score of 13.4, and students with disabilities scored a 15 on average.
Students of color and economically disadvantaged students also had lower average composites than the districtwide scores with 16.3 and 15.9, respectively.
Contact Shannon Coan at scoan@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6396.
Staff Photo by Robin Rudd / East Hamilton High School, as seen in 2020, was one of seven district schools where students had an average score on the ACT college entrance exam of 21 or higher. In Tennessee, a score of 21 is used as an indicator of college readiness.