Oklahoma high schools ACT scores ranks near the national average

Seniors at the Oklahoma School for Math and Science had the highest average ACT score in the state with a 31.4, while at the bottom of the list is a small alternative high school in Oklahoma City for at-risk students with an average score of 13.7.

The four-hour long multiple-choice exam is scored on a scale from 0-36.

It has become synonymous with college acceptance for Oklahoma seniors. A high score can mean entrance into the university of their choice and more scholarship money, while a low score can tip the admission's scale toward a rejection letter.

The average score among all Oklahoma high school seniors on the ACT is 20.7. That is close to the national average on the exam 21.1 but well below admissions standards for the state's two largest universities.

Top scores largely come from the suburbs of Tulsa and Oklahoma City, but a few inner-city specialty schools with admissions requirements are in the top 10 performers.

At the Oklahoma School for Science and Mathematics, students must take the ACT as an entrance exam for the school, said Suzanne Donnolo, the school's director of admissions and registrar. Sophomores from across the state can apply to attend the free public boarding school for their final two years of high school.

Donnolo said the average score for incoming juniors on the exam is a 26, and then the students are required to take the exam three more times before they graduate.