Montana is currently running out of funding for the ACT, a standardized test that all high school students are encouraged to take at some point.

     But what does this mean for current high school students? First, statistically, roughly 90% of grade 11 students take the ACT. The test costs $58 per student and will be given to around 12,000 students before 2025-2026, this is around $720,000 which is a huge amount.

     Due to the federal GEAR UP grant, which had been paying for our tests until 2019, being changed, Montana is no longer receiving as much money for the tests. But does this mean that some people will be able to take it and some won’t? According to superintendent Elsie Arntzen, we will receive federal funding for 2025, so our current junior class will be able to take the test. 

     Many states require students to take a form of standardized test, like the SAT or ACT. At Hellgate there is an option to take both, however, if schools run out of funding it will most likely be required to take the SAT. 

     One thing to take into consideration is that many colleges nowadays are test blind, gmeaning that your score on standardized tests will not matter to theqm during applications.