All juniors will take the ACT during the regular school day on Wednesday, March 8, at Norwalk High School. All other Norwalk High School students will not have school. 

The ACT is an exam used by colleges to make admissions and/or scholarship decisions.

“Most students hear that you do not have to have an ACT score, but that is just to get admitted,” said Marla Frantum, student advocate at Norwalk High School, who has been in charge of administering the ACT for multiple years.

“Colleges still use your ACT and SAT score for scholarships, so it is very important that students take it.” 

Juniors should report to school at normal time and check in will be outside the front office. If students do not arrive on time, they cannot take the test. The test will conclude around 12:30-1 p.m. 

Students should not bring any electronics in the area or their score will be removed. 

The test is provided free of charge to all students on March 8, while it normally costs $66. 

“The school board pays for it,” Frantum said. “They felt it was important for students that might have a financial burden, and they wanted to give every student a chance to take the test to see where they stand.” 

Senior Zoey Davenport has taken the ACT multiple times. She said there are things you can do before the test to feel prepared.  

“Go through the practice tests online a few times, get a good night of sleep, and eat a good breakfast before coming to school,” she said. 

Although not all students may have a plan to go to college right after high school, the ACT is still used to assess Norwalk’s curriculum and can help some students in determining their plans, Frantum said.

“What we hope that will happen is that some students who might be questioning if they have the ability to go to college – if they saw their scores, it might help them decide,” Frantum said.