BRYC’s Class of 2022 averaged a 22 ACT composite score, two-plus points higher than the national average score of 19.8 act.org released this fall, the lowest in 30 years. Louisiana’s average sank further to 18.1. Yet at BRYC, scores keep climbing; 15 Class of 2023 Fellows increased as high as four points on the October ACT. Though hundreds of colleges have dropped standardized test requirements, ACT scores are inextricably linked to TOPS funding and remain central to BRYC’s junior class curriculum.