Cherokee County School District's Class of 2012 Earned the Highest ACT Scores

Leading the pack with an average score of 23.3 was Hickory Flat's Sequoyah High School. 

On average, Cherokee County School District's class of 2012 earned the highest ACT scores in the system's history.

Cherokee's 22.7 surpassed state (20.7) and national (21.1) averages, according to data released Wednesday.

The highest possible score on the ACT, an alternative to the SAT college entrance exam, is a 36.

Calling it "more evidence of the clear trend of rising student achievement and teacher performance," Cherokee Superintendent Frank Petruzielo said Wednesday that the district's average has climbed nearly two points over the last decade.

"Achievement on college entrance and placement examinations is of great importance to CCSD," he said. "We want every student to have as many options as possible for their pursuit of higher education."

During the 2011-12 school year, 1,160 tests were administered in Cherokee, up from 1,053 during the 2010-11 school year.

Of the five Cherokee high schools with senior classes in 2012, Hickory Flat's Sequoyah High was tops with an average score of 23.3. Cherokee High in Canton was No. 5 with an average score of 22.River Ridge High in Woodstock will graduate its first senior class this school year.

"This continued, outstanding progress by our students is further evidence of our students' college and career readiness," Petruzielo said.

School/System	Average score
Sequoyah	23.3
Etowah	23.2
Creekview	23
Woodstock	22.2
Cherokee	22
Cherokee County School District	22.7
Georgia	20.7
Nation	21.7

Source: Canton Patch