What new ACT data shows of student proficiency in 2025 school report card

More than two-thirds of suburban high school juniors scored above 50% proficiency in English language arts and nearly half scored above 50% proficiency in mathematics on the ACT college entrance exam, according to the 2025 Illinois School Report Card data.

However, this year’s ACT results cannot be compared with those from the previous eight years since the state used SAT assessment data since 2017, and the tests are different.

Therein lies the challenge for districts, educators and parents trying to make sense of changes in student performance.

“Going from one test to the other is difficult to measure,” said Matt Raimondi, director of assessment, accountability and student success for Elgin Area School District U-46.

Only two of U-46’s five high schools — Bartlett and South Elgin — scored above 50% in ELA proficiency and none reached that threshold in math proficiency on the ACT, report card data show.

The ACT and SAT are similar, but there are key distinctions. The ACT tests students on their understanding of high school curriculum. The SAT is considered more of an aptitude test. Both tests evaluate skills in reading and math. The ACT also offers a separate English section, an optional writing section and an optional science section, according to ACT’s website.

Taking the ACT now, and the SAT before that, is mandatory for all 11th graders.

A good overall SAT score is anything above 1024 — the maximum is 1600.

For the ACT, the composite score range is from 1 to 36 for each subject and overall. A good ACT composite score is 23 or higher. The national average for graduating seniors in 2024 was 19.4, according to ACT.

The state returned to the ACT for the 2024-25 school year after its contract with the College Board expired and the Illinois State Board of Education selected ACT in a competitive bidding process. This shift also replaced the separate Illinois Science Assessment because the ACT includes a science section.

Whether the ACT is going to be more beneficial for student performance in the long run remains to be seen, said Josh Schumacher, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction for Palatine-Schaumburg Township High School District 211.

“Certainly, we like to look at year-over-year trend growth,” said Schumacher, adding there have been changes even in the last four years of the SAT with the test being updated.

Schumacher said educators in his district have been diving into differences with the new enhanced ACT. The test is shorter, allows more time per question and more flexibility for students to showcase their strengths, according to ACT’s website.

“Certainly, having less questions on particular sections of the test will be interesting, and we’ve really done some focused work on what’s the skill behind the question,” he said.

For 2025, the state’s mean ACT scale score is 18.1 in ELA, 18.8 in math, and 19.1 in science, data show. Fifty-five suburban high schools exceeded the state mean score in ELA, 51 schools scored above the state mean in math, and 55 schools exceeded the state’s science mean score.

“This is the first year Illinois is reporting science proficiency rates for grades nine and 10, giving us the fuller picture of science learning across high school,” State Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders said. “Overall, proficiency rates appear lower than in the past because of the recalibrated performance benchmarks adopted earlier this year. We need to strengthen science learning in earlier grades to give students a stronger foundation for high school science.”

In August, the state education board adopted new performance levels and proficiency benchmarks for state assessments, aligning the ACT college entrance exam, Illinois Assessment of Readiness and Illinois Science Assessment to realistic expectations for college and career readiness.

Changes with the test and proficiency benchmarks make a direct comparison with earlier years trickier, said Patrick Nolten, assistant superintendent for assessment and accountability at Naperville Community Unit District 203.

However, his district comes off well in any such effort. With the ACT this year, 78% of students were proficient in ELA and 72% for math, whereas with the SAT last year it was 68% proficiency in ELA and 56% in math.

“It’s gone up quite a bit,” Nolten said. “I would guess our performance is stable if not improved. It’s a different test. It’s one piece of the puzzle for us.”

However, it remains possible to compare both of District 203’s high schools with each other as well as with seven other nearby unit districts with similar demographics.

Nolten said the results show District 203 is performing well regionally and there are no apparent inconsistencies between the district’s two high school campuses.

Northwest Suburban High School District 214 Superintendent Scott Rowe believes the state’s new ACT benchmarks for proficiency are more realistic and based more on how students who’ve taken Advanced Placement and dual-credit, college-level courses actually perform on the tests.

“I’m happy the state was open to adjusting the benchmarks,” he said.

While the change in tests does disrupt a certain measure of progress since the pandemic, District 214 historically had done well with the ACT when it previously was used, Rowe said.

But other internal measurements of growth continue to show annual improvement among students, which this year’s ACT results don’t contradict, he added.

“We were very pleased with our students’ performance,” Rowe said. “In District 214, we believe our students are more than a test score. I’m extremely proud of how we’ve been intent on growth year after year and the results show that.”