Ames High School students who choose to attend Iowa State contribute to the university’s high average test score. Entering freshmen at Iowa State have an average ACT score of 24.4.

Terri Wilson, guidance counselor at Ames High School, said the school quit administering class rankings two years ago due to the high achievement of its students.

“To be in the upper 50 percent of our senior class, students need about a 3.4 [GPA] and at a lot of other schools around the area, students could have a 2.7 and still be in the upper half of their class,” she said.

Wilson said 71 percent of students who graduate from Ames High School attend a four-year college and 21 percent attend a two-year college.

The academic success of Ames High students has varied effects on the students themselves.

Brian Anderson, freshman in biochemistry, said he graduated from Ames High School the last year they issued class rankings.

“I got a 31 on my ACT but because of my GPA, which was 3.75, I was not in the top third of class,” he said. “I wasn’t very happy because I was looking at other schools and my grade point would have put me in a certain class rank in any other school, but because [I graduated from Ames High], I don’t get any [tuition] money.”

Phil Caffrey, associate director of admissions, said students won’t see a significant difference between Iowa State’s mean score of 24.4 and University of Iowa’s mean score of 24.6.

“If you compare the entering freshmen at U of I and ISU, they’re basically the same in terms of academic profile, average test scores, ranking and GPA,” he said.

Caffrey said the high ACT score of Iowa’s three public universities reflects the quality of Iowa students.

“It’s not surprising to me that our mean ACT score exceeds that of many other colleges and universities in the country. Iowa students in general score higher than students around the country,” he said. “It demonstrates that students who enter ISU have a good solid college-prep background and are well prepared to be successful here at the university.”

Caffrey said ACT scores are not otherwise significant.

“All three of the state universities in Iowa are obligated to admit any Iowa resident ranking in the top half of their class, regardless of ACT score,” he said. “For in-state applicants, ACT scores only influence the admission decision if the student is not in the top half of their class.”

The absence of class rankings on college applications makes admissions offices look at the courses students take, but also places more emphasis on ACT scores, Wilson said.

“[It forces] admission departments to really look at the student instead of just jumping into a number and score,” she said.

Wilson said Ames High School will release class rankings for scholarship applications but not for college admissions applications.

Caffrey said ACT scores are more important for out-of-state applicants.

Nonresident students in the top half of their class will not be accepted for admission if their ACT score are unusually low, he said.

Similarly, nonresident students who are in the top half of their class but whose GPA wouldn’t normally place them in the top half are not automatically admitted, Caffrey said.