www.act.org/condition2019
1
© 2019 by ACT, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Condition of College & Career Readiness 2019
Ohio Key Findings
 Performance of 2019 Graduates
•
 Ohio is in its third year of offering state-funded college admissions testing for all juniors.
•
 In the 2019 Ohio graduating class, 126,983 graduates (an estimated 100 percent) took the ACT test with a Composite
score average of 20.0. This compares to 91,607 (an estimated 73 percent) with an average of 22.0 in 2015. Nationally,
an estimated 52 percent of 2019 graduates took the ACT with an average Composite score of 20.7.
-
 There were 13,424 African American graduates from Ohio who took the ACT (11 percent) with an average Composite
score of 16.4. This compares to 13,787 (11 percent) with an average of 16.6, and 10,333 (11 percent) with an average of
17.5, for the 2018 and 2015 graduating classes, respectively.
-
 There were 425 American Indian graduates from Ohio who took the ACT (0 percent) with an average Composite
score of 16.1. This compares to 400 (0 percent) with an average of 17.1, and 196 (0 percent) with an average of 19.5,
for the 2018 and 2015 graduating classes, respectively.
-
 There were 84,345 White graduates from Ohio who took the ACT (66 percent) with an average Composite score of
20.9. This compares to 85,715 (67 percent) with an average of 21.2, and 66,162 (72 percent) with an average of 22.9,
for the 2018 and 2015 graduating classes, respectively.
-
 There were 6,752 Hispanic graduates from Ohio who took the ACT (5 percent) with an average Composite score of
18.4. This compares to 6,332 (5 percent) with an average of 18.8, and 3,723 (4 percent) with an average of 20.6, for
the 2018 and 2015 graduating classes, respectively.
-
 There were 2,862 Asian graduates from Ohio who took the ACT (2 percent) with an average Composite score of
23.9. This compares to 2,904 (2 percent) with an average of 23.7, and 1,992 (2 percent) with an average of 24.3, for
the 2018 and 2015 graduating classes, respectively.
-
 There were 114 Pacic Islander graduates from Ohio who took the ACT (0 percent) with an average Composite
score of 18.0. This compares to 122 (0 percent) with an average of 18.7, and 77 (0 percent) with an average of 20.8,
for the 2018 and 2015 graduating classes, respectively.
www.act.org/condition2019
2
Ohio The Condition of College & Career Readiness 2019
•
 In 2019, 23 percent of Ohio graduates met all four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks. This compares to 25 and
33 percent of 2018 and 2015 graduates, respectively.
-
 In 2019, 41 percent of Ohio graduates met zero ACT College Readiness Benchmarks. This compares to 38 and
23 percent of 2018 and 2015 graduates, respectively.
-
 In 2019, 53 percent of Ohio graduates met the ACT English College Readiness Benchmark. This compares to
55 and 71 percent of 2018 and 2015 graduates, respectively.
-
 In 2019, 35 percent of Ohio graduates met the ACT Math College Readiness Benchmark. This compares to 38 and
49 percent of 2018 and 2015 graduates, respectively.
-
 In 2019, 41 percent of Ohio graduates met the ACT Reading College Readiness Benchmark. This compares to
43 and 54 percent of 2018 and 2015 graduates, respectively.
-
 In 2019, 33 percent of Ohio graduates met the ACT Science College Readiness Benchmark. This compares to
35 and 45 percent of 2018 and 2015 graduates, respectively.
-
 In 2019, 42,706 (34 percent) of Ohio graduates met three or four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks. This
compares to 45,518 and 43,566 (36 and 48 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 Ohio graduates took the ACT with extended time. This compares to 11 and 5 percent of
2018 and 2015 graduates, respectively.
 STEM
•
 In 2019, 50,511 Ohio graduates (40 percent) indicated having an interest in STEM majors and/or careers.
•
 Compared to a 2019 Ohio graduating class average ACT STEM score of 20.3, graduates in 2018 and 2015 had
STEM averages of 20.6 and 22.1, respectively.
•
 In 2019, 50,804 Ohio graduates (40 percent) indicated taking physics. This compares to 44 and 60 percent for the
2018 and 2015 graduating classes, respectively.
•
 2019 graduates taking physics had an average science score of 22.5, compared to 18.9 for students not taking physics.
 Career Readiness Indicator
•
 In 2019, 46,219 Ohio graduates (36 percent) were likely to attain the Gold ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness
Certicate or higher based upon ACT Composite score, compared to 726,923 (41 percent) nationally.
 Impact
•
 Based on the actual test volume and ACT score distributions of 2019 ACT-tested Ohio 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:
-
 314 more students enrolling in college.
-
 349 more students persisting to year two.
-
 262 fewer students needing remedial English.
-
 399 fewer students needing remedial math.
-
 370 more students persisting to year four.
-
 389 more students earning a postsecondary degree within six years.
www.act.org/condition2019
3
The Condition of College & Career Readiness 2019 Ohio
 Behaviors that Impact Access and Opportunity
•
 In Ohio, 60,441 of the 2019 graduates (47.6 percent) taking the ACT two or more times had an average Composite
score of 22.9, compared to an average of 17.4 for 66,542 of the 2019 graduates (52.4 percent) who took the ACT only
once.
•
 275,177 score reports were sent to colleges by 2019 Ohio ACT-tested graduates.
-
 158,776 score reports were sent to in-state public colleges by 2019 Ohio ACT-tested graduates.
-
 For Ohio’s 2019 ACT-tested graduates, the top ve schools to which scores were sent were The Ohio State
University, the University of Cincinnati, Ohio University, Kent State University, and Bowling Green State University.
-
 For Ohio’s 2019 ACT-tested graduates, the top three out-of-state schools to which scores were sent were the
University of Kentucky, Northern Kentucky University, and the University of Michigan.
•
 Compared to 66 percent of 2019 graduates nationally, 67 percent of Ohio 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 18,468 ACT fee waivers to qualied Ohio students across all grades.
However, 5,655 students (30.6 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.
-
 30,426 students (24 percent) aspired to attain a graduate or professional degree. They had an average Composite
score of 23.7.
-
 47,845 students (38 percent) aspired to attain a bachelor’s degree. They had an average Composite score of 20.5.
-
 9,036 students (7 percent) aspired to attain a vocational/technical or associate’s degree. They had an average
Composite score of 16.2.
•
 In the Ohio graduating class of 2019, 19,358 students (15 percent) had parents who did not attend college.
•
 In order of prevalence, the ve most commonly indicated college majors of interest for 2019 Ohio graduates were:
Undecided; Nursing, Registered (BS/RN); Medicine (Pre-Medicine); Business Administration and Management,
General; and Mechanical Engineering.
-
 In the Ohio graduating class of 2019, 13,089 students (10 percent) indicated being undecided about their college
major. They had an average Composite score of 21.3. Decision making regarding college major can be facilitated
through activities included in ACT Aspire and PreACT testing experiences. In addition, the Student Score Report is
a valuable tool for conversations using the College and Career Planning and Interest-Major Fit sections.
-
 In the Ohio graduating class of 2019, 5,207 (4 percent) indicated planning on majoring in education. They had an
average Composite score of 20.4.
www.act.org/condition2019
4
Ohio The Condition of College & Career Readiness 2019
 Additional Points
•
 The Ohio ACT State Organization continues to grow in membership and in diversity, with more than 800 members
from across the state. The membership includes educators from state agencies, K-12, access, and postsecondary
institutions, as well as members involved in workforce development. Each year, the Ohio ACT Council hosts an annual
professional development conference and workforce summit in Columbus.
•
 In 2019, ACT honored College and Career Readiness Champions across the country. The Ohio honorees were:
-
 Olivia Sexton, high school senior, West Branch High School; Tina Drake, principal, Wellington High School; Jennifer
King, student success coach, Zane State College; and Tim Myers, general manager, Century Die Company.
•
 There is good news in that 69% of Ohio’s 2019 ACT-tested graduates aspired to postsecondary education.
Interestingly enough, 75% of Ohio’s 2018 ACT-tested graduating class aspired to enroll in postsecondary education,
compared to 57% who actually did enroll. If we fully closed the aspirational gap, an additional 22,516 of the
2018 ACT-tested graduates from Ohio would have enrolled in postsecondary education.
•
 Over 179,000 ACT National Career Readiness Certicates have been awarded in Ohio. These credentials range from
bronze to platinum levels and demonstrate individuals’ career readiness strengths to employers. Four counties in Ohio
participate as Work Ready Communities and utilize ACT research and data to assess and close their local skills gaps.
•
 According to the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the fastest-growing careers in Ohio requiring
education beyond high school are statisticians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, massage therapists, and
occupational therapy assistants.
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%
53%
59%
41%
45%
35%
39%
33%
36%
23%
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%23%36%33%39%35%45%41%59%53%
Data From Graph Above
OHIO College and Career Readiness Attainment, Participation, and
Opportunity
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Percent
69%
69%
48%
53%
44%
49%
53%
54%
35%
41%
45%
33%
33%
33%
54%
49%
23%
45%
33%
71%
43%
38%
55%
25%
35%
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
23%
25%
33%
33%
33%
33%
35%
44%
45%
45%
35%
38%
48%
49%
49%
41%
43%
54%
53%
54%
53%
55%
69%
69%
71%
Data From Graph Above
OHIO College and Career Readiness Attainment, Participation, and
Opportunity
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Percent
39%
42%
28%
28%
32%
10%
22%
53%
60%
53%
40%
22%
14%
54%
25%
35%
47%
35%
13%
9%
24%
31%
58%
11%
13%
13%
42%
57%
63%
62%
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
American
Hispanic/Latino
American
Indian/Alaska Native
Native
Hawaiian/Other
Pacific Islander
Asian White
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
40%
42%
53%
53%
54%
58%
57%
60%
62%
63%
22%
25%
47%
39%
42%
10%
14%
28%
28%
31%
22%
24%
32%
35%
35%
9%
11%
13%
13%
13%
Data From Graph Above
OHIO College and Career Readiness Attainment, Participation, and
Opportunity
OHIO College and Career Readiness Attainment, Participation, and
Opportunity
English
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Percent
37%
10%
53%
Reading
49%
11%
41%
Math
57%
35%
7%
Science
55%
12%
33%
Percent of 2019 ACT-Tested High School Graduates by ACT College Readiness Benchmark Attainment and
Subject
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
English
53%10%37%
Data From Graph Above
Math 35%7%57%
Reading 41%11%49%
Science 33%12%55%
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Percent
25%
25%
46%
47%
41%
34%
34%
23%
48%
33%
35%
38%
31%
39%
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%
34%
36%
46%
47%
48%
41%
38%
25%
25%
23%
Data from Graph Above
*Note, missing data points in tables and graphs reflect insufficient data for reporting.
OHIO College and Career Readiness Attainment, Participation, and
Opportunity
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Percent
11%
12% 12%
11%
11%
72%
71% 71%
67%
66%
10%
10%
4% 4%
5%
5%
4%
5%
5%
6% 6% 6%
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
American
American
Indian/Alaska
Native
Asian Hispanic/Latino
Native
Hawaiian/
Other Pacific
Islander
White
Two or more
races
No Response
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
10%
10%
6%
6%
6%
5%
5%
4%
4%
4%
66%
67%
71%
71%
72%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
5%
5%
4%
4%
4%
2%
2%
3%
2%
2%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
11%
11%
12%
12%
11%
Data From Graph Above
OHIO College and Career Readiness Attainment, Participation, and
Opportunity
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
State N-count
National N-count
Average ACT English Score - State
Average ACT English Score - National
Average ACT Reading Score - State
Average ACT Reading Score - National
Average ACT Math Score - State
Average ACT Math Score - National
Average ACT Science Score - State
Average ACT Science Score - National
Average ACT Composite Score - State
Average ACT Composite Score - National
20.7
20.0
20.6
20.1
20.4
19.9
21.2
20.5
20.1
19.0
1,782,820
126,983
20.8
20.3
20.7
20.4
20.5
20.3
21.3
20.8
20.2
19.3
1,914,817
127,392
21.0
22.0
21.0
22.0
20.7
21.6
21.4
22.5
20.3
21.2
2,030,038
92,674
20.8
22.0
20.8
22.0
20.6
21.6
21.3
22.5
20.1
21.2
2,090,342
93,659
21.0
22.0
20.9
22.1
20.8
21.7
21.4
22.5
20.4
21.4
1,924,436
91,607
Student Data Trends: 2015-2019, State vs. Nation
Note, missing data points in tables and graphs reflect insufficient data for reporting.
OHIO College and Career Readiness Attainment, Participation, and
Opportunity
Doctorate or
professional degree
(PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
One or 2 years of
graduate study (MA,
MBA, etc.)
Bachelor’s degree (4
years)
Associate’s degree
(2 years)
Business/technical
or certificate
program
Other No Response
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Percent
14%
10%
38%
29%
5%
2%
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
Doctorate or professional degree (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
One or 2 years of graduate study (MA, MBA, etc.)
Bachelor’s degree (4 years)
Associate’s degree (2 years)
Business/technical or certificate program
Other
No Response
29%
2%
2%
5%
38%
10%
14%
Data From Graph Above
OHIO College and Career Readiness Attainment, Participation, and
Opportunity