Wyoming is one of nine states in the country to have 100% of all 2025 graduating students take the ACT. Out of those nine schools, Wyoming ranked second with an average composite score of 19.1.
"Nine states in the country test 100% of their students on the ACT, and Wyoming is one of them,” said Megan Degenfelder, the Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction. “Of those nine states, Wyoming had the second highest scores behind Nebraska."
On top of seeing high test scores, three students across the state achieved a perfect score of 36. Forty-four percent of graduates increased their test scores by an average of 1.9 points by taking the test multiple times. Degenfelder said these scores show how Wyoming is holding its’ schools accountable in the classroom.
"But what I think it also shows us is [that] in Wyoming, we perform well on the things that we measure. We measure the ACT. The reason we have 100 percent of students taking the ACT is because it is a part of our accountability model. So we hold schools accountable based on scores from the ACT," she said.
Jeff Lewis is the director of student services at Laramie County School District #1 (LCSD).
"All three LCSD #1 comprehensive high schools improved their graduating class composite ACT scores from last year, with each achieving its highest composite score since 2022, while the Wyoming state average remained the same compared to last year,” said Lewis. “Triumph High School achieved its second highest composite score since 2021. This growth is attributed to the hard work of our staff in aligning Wyoming state standards with the LCSD #1 curriculum and to the continued efforts of our amazing teachers, who remain dedicated to supporting and fostering academic growth for all LCSD #1 students."
While test scores dropped after the pandemic in 2020, scores are back up and have remained steady from the 2024 graduating class to the 2025 graduating class.
Republished with permission from Wyoming News Now, a TV news outlet covering the Cheyenne and Casper areas.