De Soto High School will be offering a free ACT for the entire junior class on Feb. 25. This marks the second straight year that juniors across the state of Kansas are able to take the test for free. 

“The fact that it’s free definitely helps families and helps all students too, even if they are not initially planning on going to a four-year university,” counselor Lindsay Hothan said. 

Students were made aware of the exam prior to the testing date, which gives them time to prepare. There are many resources that can help students practice for the exam and improve their scores. DHS offers classes during the school day, as well as during after-school hours to help students grow their scores.

“On the ACT website, there are test prep materials that they can utilize,” Hothan said “ We have outside individuals that come in and do ACT prep classes for kids in our district outside of school hours.” 

Many students see this opportunity as beneficial to their future. In addition to this, some have prepared in various ways for the test.  

“I took the ACT class, which was great. I think it was a really great opportunity to work on different strategies and that is going to give me lots of different opportunities in the future,” junior Abi Yarbrough said.

Even if students do not plan to attend college, they still have the chance to take the test and open future possibilities. For those who are going to college, the free ACT is a great resource to prepare for college. 

“It just opens lots of doors and offers people a great testing experience,” Yarbrough said.

This is the second year that the free ACT has been offered at DHS, but it is hopeful that it will continue in the future. The new opportunities that the student body has been offered will continue to be modified year by year as the state places an emphasis on college and career readiness. 

“I think that it makes sense that they would continue to offer it for free because it gets more students thinking about the possibility of going to college,” Hothan said.