The Mississippi Department of Education has released ACT scores and Vicksburg Catholic School (VCS) juniors at St. Aloysius High School who took the test during the spring 2024 statewide administration had an average composite score of 21.7.

Statewide, the average composite score for the 30,206 juniors who tested was 17.4 — a slight decrease from the 2023 average score of 17.5.

Previous years’ statewide scores were 17.4 in 2022 and 17.3 in 2021.

As for the nationwide 2024 composite score, according to www.act.org., the average score was 19.4. VCS’s 2024 average composite score was 24.6.

St. Aloysius Principal Dawn Meeks said the ACT represents an important benchmark for students. 

“We are extremely proud of our consistently high ACT scores and the large number of students in our 30-plus club each year. There’s no better way to compare the academic preparation of our students nationwide than by looking at the comparison on ACT scores with students across the nation. The numbers are clear and reinforce the fact that our academic program is top-notch, leading to a high percentage of scholarships for our graduating seniors.”

The ACT is designed to predict how well students will perform in college, and colleges use standardized tests like the ACT to compare students across schools and states.

In preparation for the ACT, Meeks said, tenth graders at VCS are offered a semester-long test prep course.

“One nine weeks concentrates on English and reading, while the second nine weeks focuses on science and math,” she said. 

This year, students from VCS scored an average of 22.1 in English; 19.6 in math; 23.2 in reading; and 21.3 in science on the benchmark ACT subjects.

Meeks said teachers at VCS who teach the prep course attended professional development on teaching methods for being successful on standardized tests.

“Reading strategies and development of personal test-taking skills are hallmarks of the class,” she said. “We give a pre-ACT assessment in the eighth grade that gives the student an idea of where they stand in being successful on an ACT-type test. We also incorporate ACT-style test questions in our core classes in order to provide exposure to critical thinking-type assessments.”