American College Testing Results
(ACT)

The ACT testing program began in 1959. Before 1959 there was only one nationwide college entrance-testing program, which was the Scholastic Aptitude Test or SAT. The SAT focused on identifying the very best students for admission to the nation’s elite universities. In the 1950’s, large numbers of students were approaching college age and wanted to attend college. That was the atmosphere in which the American College Testing Program was established. The program, which grew out of the Iowa Tests for Educational Development, had a dual purpose:

• to help students make better decisions regarding college
• to provide more information to colleges.

The ACT assessment is designed to assess high school student’s general educational development and their ability to complete college level work. The tests cover four skill areas: English, mathematics, reading and science reasoning.

Students interested in applying for college take this test. On average, over a million students are administered the ACT test annually across the nation.  Over 40,000 students take the ACT in Missouri.  Approximately 800 students in Francis Howell take the assessment.

Our ACT scores surpass the national and state averages.

The accompanying tables display those results.