Grady, North Atlanta post highest ACT scores in Atlanta Public Schools

<p>Missing box of 220 ACT test scores forces students to retake exam</p>

Credit: Flickr

Credit: Flickr

<p>Missing box of 220 ACT test scores forces students to retake exam</p>

Scores on the ACT went up a bit this year for Atlanta Public Schools graduates.

The district released its scores Wednesday on the college-entrance exam, which tests students in English, math, reading and science.

Members of the APS class of 2019 had an average composite score of 19.1, up from 18.7 in 2018. A perfect score is a 36.

Though the district’s ACT scores increased, fewer students took the test. Only 52% of 2019 graduates took the ACT, compared to 72% of last year’s graduates. More APS students in the class of 2019 took a different college-entrance exam, the SAT, after the district and the scholarship organization Achieve Atlanta began offering the SAT at no cost to students and administering it during the school day.

The Atlanta high schools with the highest average ACT score are Grady High School with a 23.1, North Atlanta High School with a 22.2 and Drew Charter School with a 21.1.

The statewide ACT average score was a 21.4, according to the Georgia Department of Education, while the national average was a 20.7.