South Dakota's 2025 graduating class earned an average ACT score of 21 – slightly lower than in 2024, but still higher than the national average.

A total of 6,157 students in South Dakota took the ACT in 2025, the state Department of Education said in a news release . The ACT tests students in four different subject areas: English, math, reading and science.

This will be the last year the ACT is optional for students in South Dakota. In 2026, all juniors at public schools in the state will take the test, which will replace a previous assessment required of high school students.

“These numbers reflect what we know to be true – that South Dakota students who take the ACT are well-prepared to move on following their K-12 careers,” South Dakota Education Secretary Joe Graves said in the

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