ACT, Inc.

ACT, Inc. is an American company primarily known for the ACT, a standardized test that assesses high school students' academic achievement and college readiness. Founded in Iowa City, Iowa, in 1959, it has more than 1,000 employees. For the U.S. high school graduating class of 2019, 52 percent of graduates, more than 1.78 million students, had taken the ACT test, including virtually all high school graduates in 17 states. Its other programs include ACT Academy, ACT Aspire, ACT WorkKeys and the National Career Readiness Certificate. The organization was a nonprofit until it was purchased by the private equity firm Nexus Capital in April 2024, and was subsequently acquired by the nonprofit Educational Testing Service in June 2026.