One student scored 36, 23 scored higher than 30
In 2024, the average score for the ACT test, a standardized exam for college admissions that is graded on a scale of 1 to 36, was 18.4 for Louisiana. For St. Charles Parish, the average score was 19.
The scores for each parish are calculated by averaging each graduating student’s highest score on the ACT. In 2024, there were 641 students in St. Charles Parish’s graduation cohort. One student in that cohort scored a 36 on the test, 23 students scored higher than a 30, and 79 students scored higher than a 25.
The parish’s score was slightly lower than the national average of 19.4, according to data from the Louisiana Department of Education.
Dr. Stephen Zafirau, the director of instructional support for St. Charles Parish Public Schools, said the difference between the national score and the parish’s score is mostly attributable to how the ACT is measured in Louisiana.
“Louisiana is one of a handful of states that requires universal ACT testing for all high school students, regardless of whether or not those students intend to go to college,” he said. “Students who are working on obtaining certification in a trade or who plan to go directly into the labor force after high school are still required to take the ACT.”
He said that, nationally, most ACT testers are interested in attending college.
“Because of this, ACT scores in states that require universal testing, such as Louisiana, tend to be lower than the nation as a whole,” he said.
But he stressed that the parish focuses intensely on helping students who are interested in college attain a college-going ACT score.
“We believe this is better shown by looking at results among the top segment of ACT testers- those who tend to be interested in going to college,” he said. “Among the top 40 percent of our ACT testers, the average composite score was 24.2 in 2024. Among the top 60 percent, it was 22.3.”
St. Charles Parish’s score was higher than Orleans Parish (17.6), Lafourche Parish (18.8), and Jefferson Parish (17.9). Only public-school student data was included in the averages.
St. Tammany Parish had the highest average ACT score with 20.5. Other top averages were in West Feliciana Parish (20.2), Ascension Parish (20.1), Vernon Parish (19.7) and Lincoln and Livingston parishes (19.5).
Four multiple-choice sections of math, science, reading and English and one optional writing section make up the ACT test.
