North Dakota is among a dozen states where high school students are required to take the ACT before graduating. The state tied with Colorado for third with an average composite score of 20.6 this year. Utah was first with an average of 20.8 and Illinois was second at 20.7. ACT composite scores range from 1 to 36. The national average is 21.0. A total of 7,227 students in North Dakota took the ACT this year.