To understand students' college preparation experiences, in May 2021, the authors surveyed high school seniors who took the ACT® test between September 2020 and June 2021. These students reported their intentions to attend a postsecondary institution (i.e., a four-year public college or university, a four-year private college or university, a…

At least 55 million students ended the 2019-2020 school year learning at home after approximately 124,000 public and private schools closed their doors due to the coronavirus. More recently, only a little over a third of students were in the classroom five days a week, with the remainder learning entirely or partially at home. At the end of the…

ACT has been investigating issues and supports related to high school students' mental health even before the COVID-19 pandemic. ACT researchers expanded on prior research by asking students to indicate, near the beginning of the new 2020-2021 school year, their perceptions of how well their school was supporting their mental health and the extent…

From the first cases of COVID-19 emerging in early February 2020 to the wave of school closings across the country in mid-March, the effects of the pandemic have been felt across the United States. In light of unprecedented changes, ACT's researchers sought to understand how high school students, specifically rising seniors, were being impacted.…

Across demographic groups, incoming seniors (class of 2021) have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and some have altered their college plans accordingly. Most seniors are planning to attend the same type of institution they were planning on before the pandemic, but about half are planning on a different institution, one closer to home, or…

This study employs hierarchal linear modeling to examine whether high school grade inflation occurred between 2010 and 2021, including for students who were tested during the pandemic. The study does so while simultaneously accounting for student and school characteristics. This is the first study, to the current authors' knowledge, that makes use…

At least 55 million students ended the school year learning at home after approximately 124,000 public and private schools closed their doors due to the coronavirus pandemic. This "new normal" created uncertainty among high school students about their futures as many struggled with the pandemic's compounding effects as they also worried…