Minnesota’s ACT Scores Among Best In Nation

ST. PAUL  (AP) - Minnesota high school students scored above the national average on the ACT college entrance exam.

The state's class of 2011 scored an average of 22.9 out of a possible 36, ranking Minnesota students among the best in the nation.

The average score is unchanged from last year and is nearly two points above the national average of 21.1.

Comparing scores between states is difficult because participation varies widely. Seven states had a higher average ACT score than Minnesota, but in each of those states, fewer than a third of all graduates took the test. In Minnesota, 72 percent of graduates took the ACT, also a new high for the state.

The results were released Wednesday by the independent, nonprofit ACT.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)