www.act.org/condition2019
1
© 2019 by ACT, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Condition of College & Career Readiness 2019
Wisconsin Key Findings
 Performance of 2019 Graduates
•
 In the 2019 Wisconsin graduating class, 66,729 graduates (an estimated 100 percent) took the ACT test with a
Composite score average of 20.3. This compares to 46,738 (an estimated 73 percent) with an average of 22.2 in 2015.
Nationally, an estimated 52 percent of 2019 graduates took the ACT with an average Composite score of 20.7.
-
 There were 4,054 African American graduates from Wisconsin who took the ACT (6 percent) with an average
Composite score of 15.7. This compares to 4,510 (7 percent) with an average of 15.8, and 3,125 (7 percent) with an
average of 16.3, for the 2018 and 2015 graduating classes, respectively.
-
 There were 559 American Indian graduates from Wisconsin who took the ACT (1 percent) with an average
Composite score of 16.8. This compares to 572 (1 percent) with an average of 16.6, and 235 (1 percent) with an
average of 19.8, for the 2018 and 2015 graduating classes, respectively.
-
 There were 44,567 White graduates from Wisconsin who took the ACT (67 percent) with an average Composite
score of 21.4. This compares to 46,371 (68 percent) with an average of 21.6, and 34,064 (73 percent) with an average
of 23.2, for the 2018 and 2015 graduating classes, respectively.
-
 There were 6,985 Hispanic graduates from Wisconsin who took the ACT (10 percent) with an average Composite
score of 17.7. This compares to 6,613 (10 percent) with an average of 17.8, and 3,435 (7 percent) with an average of
19.4, for the 2018 and 2015 graduating classes, respectively.
-
 There were 2,467 Asian graduates from Wisconsin who took the ACT (4 percent) with an average Composite score
of 20.6. This compares to 2,423 (4 percent) with an average of 20.7, and 1,859 (4 percent) with an average of 20.8, for
the 2018 and 2015 graduating classes, respectively.
-
 There were 72 Pacic Islander graduates from Wisconsin who took the ACT (0 percent) with an average Composite
score of 17.8. This compares to 87 (0 percent) with an average of 19.3, and 49 (0 percent) with an average of 21.1, for
the 2018 and 2015 graduating classes, respectively.
-
 The 2019 Wisconsin graduating class average English score was 19.4. This compares to 19.8 and 21.6 in 2018 and
2015, respectively.
-
 The 2019 Wisconsin graduating class average math score was 20.2. This compares to 20.3 and 22.0 in 2018 and
2015, respectively.
-
 The 2019 Wisconsin graduating class average reading score was 20.4. This compares to 20.6 and 22.5 in 2018 and
2015, respectively.
-
 The 2019 Wisconsin graduating class average science score was 20.6. This compares to 20.8 and 22.3 in 2018 and
2015, respectively.
www.act.org/condition2019
2
Wisconsin The Condition of College & Career Readiness 2019
•
 In 2019, 24 percent of Wisconsin graduates met all four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks. This compares to 25 and
35 percent of 2018 and 2015 graduates, respectively.
-
 In 2019, 38 percent of Wisconsin graduates met zero ACT College Readiness Benchmarks. This compares to 36 and
21 percent of 2018 and 2015 graduates, respectively.
-
 In 2019, 56 percent of Wisconsin graduates met the ACT English College Readiness Benchmark. This compares to
59 and 74 percent of 2018 and 2015 graduates, respectively.
-
 In 2019, 39 percent of Wisconsin graduates met the ACT Math College Readiness Benchmark. This compares to
40 and 52 percent of 2018 and 2015 graduates, respectively.
-
 In 2019, 40 percent of Wisconsin graduates met the ACT Reading College Readiness Benchmark. This compares to
42 and 53 percent of 2018 and 2015 graduates, respectively.
-
 In 2019, 36 percent of Wisconsin graduates met the ACT Science College Readiness Benchmark. This compares to
36 and 49 percent of 2018 and 2015 graduates, respectively.
-
 In 2019, 23,877 (36 percent) of Wisconsin graduates met three or four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks. This
compares to 25,318 and 23,430 (37 and 50 percent) out of 2018 and 2015 graduates, respectively. For reference, the
national percentage of 2019 graduates meeting three or four benchmarks was 37 percent.
•
 In 2019, 12 percent of Wisconsin graduates took the ACT with extended time. This compares to 10 and 3 percent of
2018 and 2015 graduates, respectively.
 STEM
•
 In 2019, 26,039 Wisconsin graduates (39 percent) indicated having an interest in STEM majors and/or careers.
•
 Compared to a 2019 Wisconsin graduating class average ACT STEM score of 20.6, graduates in 2018 and 2015 had
STEM averages of 20.8 and 22.4, respectively.
•
 Compared to 19 percent of 2019 Wisconsin graduates meeting the ACT STEM College Readiness Benchmark,
graduates in 2018 and 2015 had STEM Benchmark percentages of 19 and 26, respectively.
-
 2019 Wisconsin graduates meeting the ACT STEM College Readiness Benchmark had an average science score of
28.4. This compares to 28.2 in 2015.
-
 2019 Wisconsin graduates meeting the ACT STEM College Readiness Benchmark had an average math score of
28.5. This compares to 28.4 in 2015.
 Career Readiness Indicator
•
 In 2019, 46,988 Wisconsin graduates (70 percent) were likely to attain the Silver ACT WorkKeys National Career
Readiness Certicate or higher based upon ACT Composite score, compared to 1,273,362 (71 percent) nationally.
 Impact
•
 Based on the actual test volume and ACT score distributions of 2019 ACT-tested Wisconsin high school graduates,
ACT research estimates that an increase of 0.1 in state average ACT Composite score for the 2019 graduating class
would result in:
-
 164 more students enrolling in college.
-
 183 more students persisting to year two.
-
 139 fewer students needing remedial English.
-
 205 fewer students needing remedial math.
-
 195 more students persisting to year four.
-
 207 more students earning a postsecondary degree within six years.
www.act.org/condition2019
3
The Condition of College & Career Readiness 2019 Wisconsin
 Behaviors that Impact Access and Opportunity
•
 In Wisconsin, 22,103 of the 2019 graduates (33.1 percent) taking the ACT two or more times had an average Composite
score of 23.2, compared to an average of 18.9 for 44,626 of the 2019 graduates (66.9 percent) who took the ACT only
once.
•
 175,854 score reports were sent to colleges by 2019 Wisconsin ACT-tested graduates.
-
 105,136 score reports were sent to in-state public colleges by 2019 Wisconsin ACT-tested graduates.
-
 For Wisconsin’s 2019 ACT-tested graduates, the top ve schools to which scores were sent were the University of
Wisconsin - Madison, the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse, the University
of Wisconsin - Oshkosh, and the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater.
-
 For Wisconsin’s 2019 ACT-tested graduates, the top three out-of-state schools to which scores were sent were the
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Winona State University, and the University of Minnesota - Duluth.
•
 Compared to 66 percent of 2019 graduates nationally, 66 percent of Wisconsin graduates opted into the
ACT Educational Opportunity Service (EOS). EOS is a free service that allows students to gain exposure to recruitment,
scholarship agencies, colleges, and universities that students may not have accessed on their own. The ACT Get Your
Name in the Game initiative encourages colleges and universities to recruit underserved EOS participants to increase
access and opportunity for all.
•
 In the 2018-2019 academic year, ACT issued 5,592 ACT fee waivers to qualied Wisconsin students across all grades.
However, 1,685 students (30.1 percent) did not take advantage of this opportunity to test for free. This compares to
487,749 waivers issued nationally, of which 135,569 (27.8 percent) students did not take advantage. Fee waivers
represent a great opportunity for students of low socioeconomic status to retest without incurring any fees.
 Postsecondary Aspirations
•
 Aspirations matter. Students who aspire to a higher level of postsecondary education typically achieve higher
ACT Composite scores.
-
 13,886 students (21 percent) aspired to attain a graduate or professional degree. They had an average Composite
score of 24.1.
-
 24,489 students (37 percent) aspired to attain a bachelor’s degree. They had an average Composite score of 21.0.
-
 7,436 students (11 percent) aspired to attain a vocational/technical or associate’s degree. They had an average
Composite score of 16.9.
•
 In the Wisconsin graduating class of 2019, 9,542 students (14 percent) had parents who did not attend college.
•
 In order of prevalence, the ve most commonly indicated college majors of interest for 2019 Wisconsin graduates
were: Undecided; Nursing, Registered (BS/RN); Medicine (Pre-Medicine); Business Administration and Management,
General; and Biology, General.
www.act.org/condition2019
4
Wisconsin The Condition of College & Career Readiness 2019
 Additional Points
•
 The Wisconsin ACT State Organization continues to grow in membership and in diversity, with more than
450 members from across the state. The membership includes educators from state agencies, K-12, access,
postsecondary institutions, and workforce development. Each year, the WI ACT Council hosts a state conference that
brings together professionals representing each of these areas, providing a unique and diverse professional
development opportunity.
•
 In 2019, ACT State Organizations honored College and Career Readiness Champions across the country. The
Wisconsin honorees were:
-
 Madison Xiong, high school senior, Ronald Reagan High School; Laura Bushendorf, Career Technical and Education
Coordinator, Chippewa Falls School District; Tanya Boettcher, Career Coach, Lakeshore Technical College; and John
Glynn, Area Manager, We Energies.
•
 There is good news in that 69% of Wisconsin’s 2019 ACT-tested graduates aspired to postsecondary education.
Interestingly enough, 75% of Wisconsin’s 2018 ACT-tested graduating class aspired to enroll in postsecondary
education, compared to 58% who actually did enroll. If we fully closed the aspirational gap, an additional 11,611 of the
2018 ACT-tested graduates from Wisconsin would have enrolled in postsecondary education.
•
Over 292,000 National Career Readiness Certicates have been awarded in Wisconsin, demonstrating individuals’
career readiness strengths to employers.
State
English
National
English
State
Reading
National
Reading
State
Math
National
Math
State
Science
National
Science
State
All Four
National
All Four
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
56%
59%
40%
45%
39%
39%
36%
36%
24%
26%
Percent of 2019 ACT-Tested High School Graduates Meeting ACT College Readiness Benchmarks* by
Subject
* The ACT College Readiness Benchmarks are scores on the ACT subject area tests that represent the level of achievement required for students to have a 50% chance of
obtaining a B or higher or about a 75% chance of obtaining a C or higher in corresponding credit-bearing first-year college courses. Throughout this report, benchmark
attainment corresponds with students meeting or exceeding 18 in English, 22 in Reading, 22 in Math and 23 in Science.
Note, missing data points in tables and graphs reflect insufficient data for reporting.
State
English
National
English
State
Reading
National
Reading
State
Math
National
Math
State
Science
National
Science
State
All Four
National
All Four
26%24%36%36%39%39%45%40%59%56%
Data From Graph Above
WISCONSIN College and Career Readiness Attainment, Participation, and
Opportunity
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
P e rce n t
60%
74%
41%
59%
59%
49%
53%
42%
37%
37%
42%
35%
39%
36%
25%
25%
36%
25%
24%
40%
56%
Percent of 2015–2019 ACT-Tested High School Graduates Meeting ACT College Readiness Benchmarks*
English Reading Math Science All Four Subjects
* The ACT College Readiness Benchmarks are scores on the ACT subject area tests that represent the level of achievement required for students to have a 50% chance of
obtaining a B or higher or about a 75% chance of obtaining a C or higher in corresponding credit-bearing first-year college courses. Throughout this report, benchmark
attainment corresponds with students meeting or exceeding 18 in English, 22 in Reading, 22 in Math and 23 in Science.
Note, missing data points in tables and graphs reflect insufficient data for reporting.
English Reading Math Science All Four Subjects
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
24%
25%
25%
25%
35%
36%
36%
37%
37%
49%
39%
40%
39%
41%
52%
40%
42%
42%
41%
53%
56%
59%
59%
60%
74%
Data From Graph Above
WISCONSIN College and Career Readiness Attainment, Participation, and
Opportunity
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
P e rce n t
29%
26%
32%
47%
24%
12%
12
%
11%
58%
45%
45%
10%
44%
27%
18%
43%
17%
17%
7%
7%
17%
7%
9%
36%
36%
37
%
35%
6%
35%
Percent of 2015-2019 ACT-Tested High School Graduates Meeting Three or More Benchmarks by
Race
/Ethnicity
Black/African American
Hispanic/Latino
American Indian/Alaska Native
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Isl..
Asian
White
Note, missing data points in tables and graphs reflect insufficient data for reporting.
Black/African
Amer
ican
Hisp
anic/Latino
Amer
ican
Indi
an/Alaska Native
Nati
ve
Hawa
iian/Other
Paci
fic Islander
Asia
n
Whit
e
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
43%
45%
44%
45%
58%
36%
36%
35%
35%
37%
17%
26%
24%
29%
47%
11%
10%
12%
12%
32%
17%
17%
19%
18%
27%
6%
7%
7%
7%
9%
Data From Graph Above
WISC
ONSIN College and Career Readiness Attainment, Participation, and
Oppo
rtunity
WISCONSIN College and Career Readiness Attainment, Participation, and
Oppo
rtunity
English
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
P e rce n t
33%
11%
56%
Reading
49%
12%
40%
Math
55%
39%
6%
Science
50%
15%
36%
Percent of 2019 ACT-Tested High School Graduates by ACT College Readiness Benchmark Attainment and
Subj
ect
Note
, missing data points in tables and graphs reflect insufficient data for reporting.
Below Benchmark by 3+ points
Within 2 points of Benchmark
Met Benchmark
Below Benchmark by 3+ points Within 2 points of Benchmark Met Benchmark
Engl
ish
56%11%33%
Data
From Graph Above
Math 39%6%55%
Reading 40%12%49%
Science 36%15%50%
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
P e rce n t
21%
50%
36%
34%
38%
33%
35%
38% 38%
31%
39%
36%
40%
Percent of 2015–2019 ACT-Tested High School Graduates Meeting ACT College Readiness Benchmarks*
State: Those Attaining 0 CRBs
State: Those Attaining 3 or 4 CRBs
National: Those Attaining 0 CRBs
National: Those Attaining 3 or 4 CRBs
State: Those Attaining 0 CRBs
State: Those Attaining 3 or 4
CRBs
National: Those Attaining 0
CRBs
National: Those Attaining 3 or 4
CRBs
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
37%
38%
39%
38%
40%
36%
35%
33%
34%
31%
36%
37%
37%
38%
50%
38%
36%
35%
34%
21%
Data from Graph Above
*Note, missing data points in tables and graphs reflect insufficient data for reporting.
WISCONSIN College and Career Readiness Attainment, Participation, and
Opportunity
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
P e rce n t
10%
10%
10%
73% 71%
70%
68%
67%
7%
6%
6% 7%
6%
7%
9%
5%
6% 6%
7%
8%
Percent of 2015-2019 ACT-Tested High School Graduates by Race/Ethnicity
Black/African American
American Indian/Alaska Native
Asian
Hispanic/Latino
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander
White
Two or more races
No Response
Note
, missing data points in tables and graphs reflect insufficient data for reporting.
Black/African
Amer
ican
American
Indi
an/Alaska
Nati
ve
Asia
n
Hisp
anic/Latino
Native
Hawa
iian/
Othe
r Pacific
Isla
nder
Whit
e
Two
or more
race
s
No R
esponse
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
8%
7%
6%
6%
5%
4%
4%
4%
4%
3%
67%
68%
70%
71%
73%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
10%
10%
10%
9%
7%
4%
4%
4%
3%
4%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
6%
7%
6%
6%
7%
Data From Graph Above
WISC
ONSIN College and Career Readiness Attainment, Participation, and
Oppo
rtunity
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Stat
e N-count
National N-count
Aver
age ACT English Score - State
Average ACT English Score - National
Aver
age ACT Reading Score - State
Average ACT Reading Score - National
Aver
age ACT Math Score - State
Average ACT Math Score - National
Aver
age ACT Science Score - State
Average ACT Science Score - National
Aver
age ACT Composite Score - State
Average ACT Composite Score - National
20.7
20.3
20.6
20.6
20.4
20.2
21.2
20.4
20.1
19.4
1,78
2,820
66,7
29
20.8
20.5
20.7
20.8
20.5
20.3
21.3
20.6
20.2
19.8
1,91
4,817
68,0
00
21.0
20.5
21.0
20.9
20.7
20.4
21.4
20.6
20.3
19.7
2,03
0,038
66,7
34
20.8
20.5
20.8
20.7
20.6
20.4
21.3
20.7
20.1
19.7
2,09
0,342
66,5
64
21.0
22.2
20.9
22.3
20.8
22.0
21.4
22.5
20.4
21.6
1,92
4,436
46,7
38
Student Data Trends: 2015-2019, State vs. Nation
Note
, missing data points in tables and graphs reflect insufficient data for reporting.
WISC
ONSIN College and Career Readiness Attainment, Participation, and
Oppo
rtunity
Doctorate or
prof
essional degree
(PhD
, MD, JD, etc.)
One
or 2 years of
grad
uate study (MA,
MBA,
etc.)
Bach
elor’s degree (4
year
s)
Asso
ciate’s degree
(2 y
ears)
Busi
ness/technical
or c
ertificate
prog
ram
Othe
r
No
Response
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
P e rce n t
12%
37%
29%
9%
8%
3%
2%
Percent of 2019 ACT-Tested High School Graduates by Educational Aspirations
Note
, missing data points in tables and graphs reflect insufficient data for reporting.
% of Graduates
Doct
orate or professional degree (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
One or 2 years of graduate study (MA, MBA, etc.)
Bach
elor’s degree (4 years)
Associate’s degree (2 years)
Busi
ness/technical or certificate program
Other
No R
esponse
29%
2%
3%
8%
37%
9%
12%
Data From Graph Above
WISC
ONSIN College and Career Readiness Attainment, Participation, and
Oppo
rtunity