PRESS RELEASE
LAFAYETTE, La. ACT results for districts and schools were released today. The reports show five-year trend data for the district and schools and also consider student preparedness for college-level work. Starting in 2012, all 11th graders were required to take the ACT. State and district trends imply that most students took the exam, but likely not all, as the number of students taking the test increased substantially again in 2013. It appears 2014 was the first year the district reached nearly 100% compliance. The new benchmark score for college readiness is 21. The state public high school ACT average is 19.3, down from 19.6 in 2016-2017.
The composite ACT score in Lafayette Parish is 19.9, down from 20.1 in 2016-2017. The decline in scores mirrors a national trend. According to a recent article in Education Week, “The newest batch of ACT scores shows troubling long-term declines in performance, with students’ math achievement reaching a 20-year low, according to results released Wednesday. The average math score for the graduating class of 2018 was 20.5, marking a steady decline from 20.9 five years ago, and virtually no progress since 1998, when it was 20.6. Each of the four sections of the college-entrance exam is graded on a 36-point scale.” The article also points out that “the scores in English didn’t offer much cause for celebration, either. The average score for the class of 2018 was 20.2, the same as five years ago, and down half a point from the English-score high in 2007.”
Despite the decline in scores, there are some bright spots for Lafayette Parish students. LPSS ranks 12th in the state in ACT Composite Average. Of those 12, only 4 are of comparable size to Lafayette. Last year, LPSS ranked 13th. The Early College Academy ranks 11th among all the high schools in the state. Similarly, Lafayette High ranks 18th and David Thibodaux STEM Magnet Academy ranks 40th among high schools in the state. Lafayette Parish students also showed promising long-term growth when compared with the state. Since 2012, the number of Lafayette Parish students scoring 21 or higher in the state increased by 150, making it 8th among districts in the state with respect to students in that category. The number of students scoring 18 or higher grew by 255 over the same period, making it 10th among districts in the state in that category. Lafayette High School, in particular, showed growth over this period as well, ranking 22nd in the state for scores of 18 or more and 21 or more. Here’s how each high school fared.
- Acadiana High School’s composite score was 18.7 with 203 students scoring 18 or better and 119 scoring
21 or higher.
- Carencro High School’s composite score was 17.3 with 86 students scoring 18 or better and 35 scoring 21
or higher.
- Comeaux High School’s composite score was 19.7 with 265 students scoring 18 or better and 168 scoring
21 or higher.
- The Early College Academy’s composite score was 24.6 with 51 students scoring 18 or better and 43
scoring a 21 or higher.
- Lafayette High School’s composite score was 22.4 with 410 students scoring 18 or better and 325 scoring
21 or higher.
- Northside High School’s composite score was 16.3 with 39 students scoring 18 or better and 15 scoring 21
or higher.
- David Thibodaux STEM Magnet Academy’s composite score was 21 with 89 students scoring 18 or better
and 20 scoring 21 or higher.
Click the link below for a breakdown for ACT best composite scores for 2017-2018 seniors by parish.
