2026 ACT Score Percentiles: What Your Score Means

An ACT score tells you how you performed on the test. Your ACT percentile tells you something slightly different: how your performance compares with other students.

For the 2025-2026 testing year, an ACT Composite score of 22 is in the 72nd percentile. That means you scored as well as or better than approximately 72% of recent ACT-tested high school graduates. A 28 puts you in the 91st percentile, while a 31 reaches the 96th percentile.

Those differences matter. Moving your ACT score by only a few points can move you ahead of a significant portion of the testing population, particularly in the middle and upper portions of the score range.

The official ACT National Ranks for the 2025-2026 reporting year are now available. Here is what the latest ACT percentile data means for students taking the test in 2026.

What Is an ACT Score Percentile?

An ACT percentile, officially called a national rank, shows the percentage of recent ACT-tested high school graduates who earned your score or a lower score.

If your ACT Composite score is in the 80th percentile, for example, that does not mean you answered 80% of the questions correctly. It means your score was equal to or higher than the scores earned by approximately 80% of the comparison group.

ACT calculates these national ranks using scores from recent graduating classes. The current rankings are based on ACT-tested high school graduates from 2023, 2024, and 2025 and are used for ACT tests taken from September 2025 through August 2026.

Percentiles are useful because a scaled score by itself does not tell the whole story. Knowing that you earned a 28 is helpful. Knowing that a 28 places you in the 91st percentile gives you a clearer picture of how strong that score is nationally.

If you want to see how those rankings have shifted over time, you can also compare the current numbers with historical ACT percentiles.

2026 ACT Composite Score Percentiles

The following table shows the official national rank for each ACT Composite score during the 2025-2026 testing year.

ACT Composite Score	2026 Percentile
36	100th
35	99th
34	99th
33	98th
32	97th
31	96th
30	94th
29	92nd
28	91st
27	88th
26	86th
25	83rd
24	80th
23	76th
22	72nd
21	68th
20	63rd
19	57th
18	52nd
17	46th
16	40th
15	34th
14	27th
13	20th
12	12th
11	5th
10	2nd
1-9	1st

The mean Composite score for the current national-rank group is 19.2. An 18 sits just above the midpoint of the percentile distribution at the 52nd percentile, while a 20 reaches the 63rd percentile.

The higher you move on the scale, the more noticeable each point can become. A 25 places you in the 83rd percentile, but raising that score three points to a 28 moves you to the 91st percentile. Reaching a 31 places you in the 96th percentile.

What Is a Good ACT Percentile in 2026?

There is no single ACT percentile that qualifies as “good” for every student. A good score is one that makes you competitive for the colleges, scholarships, and other opportunities you want to pursue.

Still, the national percentile rankings give you some useful benchmarks:

ACT Composite	National Rank	General Context
34-36	99th-100th	Exceptional national performance
31-33	96th-98th	Approximately top 5%
28-30	91st-94th	Approximately top 10%
23-27	76th-88th	Well above the national midpoint
18-22	52nd-72nd	Around to above the national midpoint
17 or below	46th or lower	Below the national midpoint

These categories are useful for perspective, but they should not become your entire college strategy.

A 28 may be an extremely competitive score at one university and below the typical range at another. Your real target should be based on the schools and scholarships you are considering rather than an arbitrary national benchmark.

The ACT Composite Score Changed for 2026

If you have an older sibling, an old ACT prep book, or online advice written several years ago, you may notice something different about the ACT scoring system.

The current ACT Composite score is calculated using English, Math, and Reading. Science is now optional and receives its own score if you take it, but it is no longer included when calculating your Composite score.

ACT began rolling out its enhanced test in 2025, and the new Composite calculation applies to all students taking the ACT beginning in September 2025. Students may still take Science, and those who do can receive both a Science score and a STEM score.

This is an important distinction when interpreting 2026 scores or comparing your results with information from previous years.

If this is your first time preparing for the exam, our guide to taking the ACT in 2026 breaks down the current format, timing, sections, and scoring system in greater detail.

National ACT Percentiles vs. College ACT Percentiles

There are two different types of percentile information you may encounter while researching colleges.

The ACT national rank tells you how your score compares with other recent ACT-tested high school graduates nationwide.

A college’s 25th and 75th percentile ACT scores mean something different. Those numbers describe the scores of students within that particular college’s incoming or admitted class.

For example, suppose a university reports an ACT middle 50% range of 28 to 32. That means approximately one-quarter of the relevant students scored below 28, half scored between 28 and 32, and one-quarter scored above 32.

Your national ACT percentile does not tell you your probability of admission to that university. Instead, compare your score with the score distribution reported by the individual schools you are considering.

ACT itself recommends researching colleges’ 25th and 75th percentile score ranges and comparing your results with those ranges as you build your college list.

What ACT Score Should You Aim For?

Instead of choosing a target simply because 30 sounds impressive or 25 sounds attainable, work backward from your goals.

Start by making a list of colleges you are seriously considering. Research the ACT score range for each school, paying particular attention to the middle 50% of enrolled or admitted students when current data is available.

Then create a target that would make your score competitive across as much of your list as possible.

If your schools commonly report ACT scores between 27 and 31, for example, targeting a 31 or higher may give you more flexibility than simply trying to reach the bottom of that range.

Scholarships can give you another reason to aim higher. Some awards consider standardized test performance alongside GPA, extracurricular activities, essays, financial need, or other criteria, while eligibility rules vary considerably between programs. Our guide to ACT scores and scholarships explains how to incorporate scholarship requirements into your target-score strategy.

Your goal should ultimately be specific to you. A student starting with a practice score of 19 and targeting a 24 has a very different preparation plan from someone who already has a 30 and wants to reach a 34.

Both goals can be ambitious.

How Much Difference Can a Few ACT Points Make?

Percentiles demonstrate why small ACT score improvements can matter.

Consider these jumps in the current rankings:

• Going from 18 to 21 moves you from the 52nd percentile to the 68th.
• Going from 22 to 25 moves you from the 72nd percentile to the 83rd.
• Going from 25 to 28 moves you from the 83rd percentile to the 91st.
• Going from 28 to 31 moves you from the 91st percentile to the 96th.

The relationship is not perfectly even. Improving by three points does not always produce the same percentile increase because student scores are not distributed evenly across the 1-36 scale.

That is also why you should evaluate score improvement in context. Moving from a 20 to a 23, for example, is more meaningful than simply saying you improved “three points.” According to the current rankings, that change would move you from the 63rd percentile to the 76th.

How Can You Improve Your ACT Percentile?

You cannot study for a percentile directly. You improve your percentile by improving the ACT score that produces it.

Start with a full-length diagnostic practice test under realistic testing conditions. Your Composite score gives you a baseline, but your section results and individual mistakes tell you where your biggest opportunities are.

Then focus your preparation on the patterns costing you points.

If Math is your weakest section, determine whether algebra, geometry, functions, timing, or careless errors are causing the problem. If Reading is holding down your score, find out whether you struggle more with pacing, inference questions, evidence, or understanding the main idea.

Our guide on how to prep for the ACT walks through how to create this type of targeted study plan.

Timed practice is also important. Knowing how to solve a problem without a clock is different from solving it accurately while managing an entire ACT section. Regular timed practice helps you develop both the knowledge and pacing required to convert what you know into points on test day.

Finally, remember that your first ACT score does not have to be your last. If you fall short of your target, use your score report to identify weaknesses, prepare deliberately, and consider retaking the ACT when you have had enough time to make meaningful progress.

Use Your Percentile as a Starting Point

Your ACT percentile gives your score context, but it should not define your college plans by itself.

A 30 is an excellent national result at the 94th percentile. A 25 places you ahead of approximately 83% of the comparison group. Even a one- or two-point improvement can move you noticeably higher in the national rankings.

The more important question is whether your score supports your goals.

Research the score ranges at your target colleges, check scholarship requirements, identify a realistic target, and then prepare with that target in mind. Percentiles can tell you where you currently stand. A focused study strategy tells you what to do next.

If you want structured instruction, targeted practice, and a plan built around improving your score, explore Prep Expert®’s ACT prep courses to find the program that best fits your goals.