Cherokee Students Earn Highest-Ever ACT Score

CANTON, GA -- Cherokee County School District's class of 2016 earned the highest-ever score on the ACT college entrance and placement exam.

The new numbers released this week ranks Cherokee County in the top five systems in the state and above the national average.

The CCSD average ACT composite/total score on the curriculum-based test is 23.1, rising from 22.7 last year and from 20.8 over the past decade; the state average increased to 21.1 and the national average declined slightly to 20.8.

Students earn a score on a scale of 1 to 36; the ACT is taken in lieu of or along with the SAT.

The class of 2016 earned the system’s highest-ever scores in the English (22.8), Reading (23.9) and Science (22.9) sections, with averages for those three areas increasing from the previous year, and Math holding steady at 22.1 – all of these subject scores exceed state and national averages.

The number of district seniors who took the ACT also soared to 1,623 – 62 percent of the senior class – a jump from 1,450 and 59 percent the previous year.

Principals will evaluate these results with leadership and data-management teams to determine instructional areas to target for improvement. Counselors will also review these scores to ensure the best testing choices are recommended to students for college admission and scholarship success.

The ACT will be administered in Cherokee County this year on Sept. 10, Oct. 22, Dec. 10, Feb. 11, April 8 and June 10.

“We firmly believe that our students and teachers are not numbers, and that a successful education cannot be defined only by achieving high test scores,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian Hightower said. “Results such as these ACT scores do provide a useful benchmark for a wider evaluation of teaching and learning… and we are very proud that our students and teachers continue to excel at such an impressive level.

“We appreciate all of the effort it takes to succeed at this height: dedicated students and supportive families working together with our CCSD team of teachers at every grade level, support staff, administrators, volunteers and partners, and a community that has supported investing in education through renewal of our Education SPLOST,” he added.

Another benchmark that goes hand-in-hand with these results is the state data that shows when Cherokee students enter college, they are more prepared than their peers: 90 percent of recent graduates who enrolled in a state college or university (9,100 students) did not need a single remedial class.

“We remain focused on the progress of every student and educating the emerging generation for the next step in their lives, whichever path they choose,” Dr. Hightower said.

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