South Dakota students continue to outperform national peers on the ACT

South Dakota’s graduating class of 2025 continues to outperform the national average on the ACT, with an average score of 21.0 compared to the U.S. average of 19.4. This marks the fifth consecutive year that South Dakota students have scored higher than their peers nationwide. A total of 6,157 students took the ACT, with 60 percent of graduates participating. Among them, 29 students earned a perfect score in English and 64 in Reading. Forty-one percent met college readiness benchmarks in at least three of the four tested subjects, surpassing the national rate of 30 percent. Most students—75 percent—indicated plans to attend college in South Dakota, with health sciences and business emerging as the most popular intended majors. Beginning in spring 2026, all public high school juniors will take the ACT during the school day as part of a new statewide assessment initiative. Education Secretary Joe Graves praised the results, emphasizing the ACT’s role in expanding opportunities for students across the state.