FCPS and Kentucky student ACT scores are declining, data shows
ACT scores for Fayette County Public Schools’ class of 2025, and counterparts across Kentucky, declined from last year, continuing a drop in achievement since 2023, new testing data shows.
Kentucky students in the graduating class of 2025 earned an average composite score of 18.4 on the ACT, state Department of Education officials said in an Oct. 15 news release.
“As with any assessment, the (Kentucky) ACT results from the class of 2025 paint a complex picture,” Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher said in the release. “We at the Kentucky Department of Education are proud of where we stand nationally among states where every student is tested, which reflects our dedication to preparing every student for success in college, career and life.”
The commonwealth’s class of 2024 performed a bit higher, according to the KDE, with a composite score of 18.6. The number of students from the class of 2025 taking the ACT rose from the previous year, however, by 3.8% to 52,946.
The state’s composite score in 2022 was also 18.6, though it ticked up to 18.7 in 2023.
The composite score and each individual subject score (English, mathematics, reading, science) range from 1 (low) to 36 (high). The composite score is the average of the English, math and reading test scores rounded to the nearest whole number. Fractions less than one-half are rounded down; fractions one-half or more are rounded up, according to the ACT.
In addition to a falling composite score, English, reading, math and science scores across Kentucky and FCPS were lower in 2025 than in previous years.
According to the latest data, FCPS class of 2025 students earned an average composite score of 18.7, that’s higher than the statewide average, but 0.3 lower than 2024 and well below the class of 2023, which averaged 19.6.
“While we acknowledge that ACT scores for both FCPS and the state have mirrored a slight decrease over the last three years, this trend is consistent with national results reflecting the challenges of the past few years,” FCPS spokesperson Miranda Scully told the Herald-Leader.
“Crucially, our district continues to demonstrate academic achievement: FCPS’s English, Mathematics, Reading, Science, and Composite ACT scores continue to outpace the state average,” Scully continued. “Every accomplishment starts in the classroom, and we owe this success entirely to the integrity and dedication of our schools and students. Our focus remains on supporting our staff to ensure every student is prepared for their post-secondary future.”
Kentucky’s average composite score ranks fourth among states testing all of their graduates, behind Nebraska, Wyoming and Tennessee, KDE reports.
The recent drop in statewide ACT scores might not capture the whole picture of college readiness among Kentucky’s high schoolers, however, Ed Fierros, associate director of educational research at Villanova University told the Herald-Leader.
“I can comment on the statewide results that show that the difference between 2025 and 2024 ACT average scores is statistically significant (t-statistic -5.98),” Fierros said. “But, given that the large number of test takers, even small differences would be statistically significant. The effect size of the difference between the two averages is negligible and show no real difference between the two averages.”
In Kentucky, all public high school juniors take the ACT, resulting in the large number of test takers. The average scores consider “all of the 2025 senior data from the last test, whether it be junior state administration, the fall senior retake or a national test,” according to KDE spokesperson Jennifer Ginn.
Fierros could not analyze the ACT results of FCPS students, citing insufficient information, but pointed to education research studies that have found grade point averages often are better predictors of first-year college performance than standardized testing like the ACT or SAT.
“Finally, it is crucial to emphasize that over 80% of four-year colleges and universities in the United States have adopted either a test-optional or test-blind admissions policy,” Fierros said. “Consequently, these institutions do not mandate standardized test scores such as the SAT or ACT for admission purposes.”
Starting in the spring of 2026, all Kentucky high school juniors will take the SAT, rather than the ACT, as part of the state’s required college admissions exam testing. KDE had previously worked with ACT as its college admissions exam provider, but that contract ended June 30.
This story was originally published October 24, 2025 at 5:00 AM.