Germantown School District earns highest ACT test scores in state

Germantown Municipal School District earned the state's highest ACT scores for the fourth year in a row, according to scores released by the Tennessee Department of Education.

The average score among Houston High School students was 25.9, which is up from 25.5 last year. Houston High is the lone high school in the Germantown district.

The district also had the highest percentage of students scoring a 21 or better at 85.6 percent.

A 21 is the qualifying score for the Tennessee HOPE scholarship, which provides financial assistance to students who attend an eligible post-secondary institution. The state also has a strategic goal that the statewide average should be 21 by 2020. The highest score a student can earn is a 36.

The scores the state released are from the graduating class of 2018.

All Houston High School seniors were required to take the test. However, students are allowed to take the test multiple times, and their highest score is counted.

Superintendent Jason Manuel attributed Houston High's success to a "focus on high expectations and rigorous opportunities in the classrooms."

Manuel said career-technical education and early post-secondary opportunities, honors classes and dual enrollment prepares students for college and post-secondary opportunities.

Jennifer Pignolet contributed to this report.

Abigail Warren covers Germantown for The Commercial Appeal.

Reach her at abigail.warren @commercialappeal.com or follow her on Twitter @aewarren3.