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Digest of Education Statistics
2005 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 128. SAT score averages of college-bound seniors, by selected student characteristics: Selected years, 1995-96 through 2004-05
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                                     |         1995-96         |  1997-98\1\  |       1999-2000         |  2002-03\1\  |         2003-04         |  2004-05\1\
                                     |_________________________|______________|_________________________|______________|_________________________|______________
                                     |      | Mathe-|Percentage|      | Mathe-|      | Mathe-|Percentage|      | Mathe-|      | Mathe-|Percentage|      |Mathe-
                                     |Verbal| matics|   distri-|Verbal| matics|Verbal| matics|   distri-|Verbal| matics|Verbal| matics|   distri-|Verbal|matics
Selected student characteristic      | score|  score|    bution| score|  score| score|  score|    bution| score|  score| score|  score|    bution| score| score
_____________________________________|______|_______|__________|______|_______|______|_______|__________|______|_______|______|_______|__________|______|_______
1                                    |     2|      3|         4|     5|      6|     7|      8|         9|    10|     11|    12|     13|        14|    15|     16
_____________________________________|______|_______|__________|______|_______|______|_______|__________|______|_______|______|_______|__________|______|_______
   All students .....................|   505|    508|       100|   505|    512|   505|    514|       100|   507|    519|   508|    518|       100|   508|    520
                                     |______|_______|__________|______|_______|______|_______|__________|______|_______|______|_______|__________|______|_______
High school rank                     |      |       |          |      |       |      |       |          |      |       |      |       |          |      |
  Top decile ........................|   591|    606|        22|   590|    607|   589|    608|        ‡ |   585|    607|   584|    602|        29|   585|    606
  Second decile .....................|   530|    539|        22|   530|    543|   528|    543|        ‡ |   522|    539|   522|    537|        24|   523|    540
  Second quintile ...................|   494|    496|        28|   494|    500|   493|    500|        ‡ |   486|    494|   486|    494|        22|   488|    499
  Third quintile ....................|   455|    448|        24|   454|    453|   455|    453|        ‡ |   449|    449|   449|    451|        20|   452|    455
  Fourth quintile ...................|   429|    418|         4|   427|    421|   425|    419|        ‡ |   420|    417|   422|    421|         4|   425|    424
  Fifth quintile ....................|   411|    401|         1|   408|    403|   408|    401|        ‡ |   410|    410|   415|    418|         1|   426|    430
                                     |      |       |          |      |       |      |       |          |      |       |      |       |          |      |
High school grade point average      |      |       |          |      |       |      |       |          |      |       |      |       |          |      |
  A+ (97-100) .......................|   617|    632|         6|   613|    629|   610|    628|         7|   607|    625|   606|    620|         6|   607|    625
  A  (93-96) ........................|   573|    583|        14|   569|    582|   567|    582|        16|   566|    583|   567|    580|        18|   570|    585
  A- (90-92) ........................|   545|    554|        15|   542|    554|   540|    553|        17|   538|    552|   537|    549|        17|   541|    555
  B  (80-89) ........................|   486|    485|        49|   483|    487|   482|    486|        47|   480|    485|   480|    486|        47|   484|    491
  C  (70-79) ........................|   432|    426|        15|   430|    428|   428|    426|        12|   425|    424|   429|    431|        11|   430|    432
  D, E, or F (below 70) .............|   414|    408|         #|   408|    411|   405|    406|         #|   416|    430|   421|    446|         #|   415|    439
                                     |      |       |          |      |       |      |       |          |      |       |      |       |          |      |
Intended college major               |      |       |          |      |       |      |       |          |      |       |      |       |          |      |
  Agriculture/natural resources .....|   491|    484|         2|   491|    487|   490|    486|         1|   484|    482|   484|    483|         1|   487|    486
  Architecture/environmental design .|   492|    519|         3|   494|    524|   494|    524|         2|   483|    511|   479|    510|         2|   495|    527
  Arts: visual/performing ...........|   520|    497|         6|   520|    502|   518|    502|         8|   514|    500|   517|    501|         8|   521|    506
  Biological sciences ...............|   546|    545|         6|   545|    546|   544|    548|         5|   543|    553|   544|    552|         6|   547|    558
  Business and commerce .............|   483|    500|        13|   484|    505|   487|    510|        14|   489|    512|   486|    509|        13|   491|    515
  Communications ....................|   527|    497|         4|   523|    501|   526|    505|         4|   524|    506|   525|    505|         4|   527|    509
  Computer or information sciences ..|   497|    522|         3|   500|    529|   499|    533|         6|   503|    535|   504|    532|         5|   508|    535
  Education .........................|   487|    477|         8|   483|    480|   483|    481|         9|   482|    483|   483|    482|         8|   486|    488
  Engineering .......................|   525|    569|         8|   525|    571|   523|    573|         8|   525|    574|   525|    573|         9|   529|    579
  Foreign/classical languages .......|   556|    534|         #|   552|    538|   558|    539|         1|   564|    545|   570|    545|         1|   575|    551
  General/interdisciplinary .........|   576|    553|         #|   568|    549|   562|    545|         #|   547|    539|   547|    533|         #|   546|    535
  Health and allied services ........|   500|    505|        19|   497|    505|   497|    505|        16|   489|    498|   487|    495|        17|   490|    501
  Home economics ....................|   458|    452|         #|   458|    459|   462|    462|         #|   462|    462|   460|    461|         #|   463|    466
  Language and literature ...........|   605|    545|         1|   605|    549|   608|    552|         1|   603|    550|   603|    547|         2|   606|    552
  Library and archival sciences .....|   554|    512|         #|   547|    525|   556|    511|         #|   572|    512|   567|    515|         #|   577|    511
  Mathematics .......................|   552|    628|         1|   552|    629|   551|    630|         1|   545|    626|   541|    621|         1|   545|    626
  Military sciences .................|   503|    505|         #|   504|    507|   505|    512|         #|   513|    516|   516|    520|         1|   522|    526
  Philosophy/religion/theology ......|   560|    536|         #|   558|    538|   560|    539|         1|   562|    544|   560|    539|         1|   561|    542
  Physical sciences .................|   575|    595|         1|   571|    592|   569|    592|         1|   563|    588|   564|    587|         2|   565|    591
  Public affairs and services .......|   458|    448|         3|   459|    453|   459|    454|         3|   462|    458|   464|    459|         3|   465|    463
  Social sciences and history .......|   532|    509|        11|   531|    512|   532|    513|        11|   531|    514|   534|    515|        10|   540|    522
  Technical and vocational ..........|   435|    441|         1|   440|    448|   442|    452|         1|   441|    450|   443|    453|         1|   445|    456
  Undecided .........................|   500|    507|         7|   510|    520|   512|    521|         7|   516|    528|   514|    526|         6|   517|    530
                                     |      |       |          |      |       |      |       |          |      |       |      |       |          |      |
Degree-level goal                    |      |       |          |      |       |      |       |          |      |       |      |       |          |      |
  Certificate program ...............|   434|    439|         1|   436|    447|   439|    453|         1|   441|    456|   441|    456|         1|   445|    463
  Associate's degree ................|   422|    415|         2|   421|    419|   420|    419|         2|   417|    416|   417|    417|         1|   420|    421
  Bachelor's degree .................|   476|    476|        23|   475|    480|   478|    483|        25|   475|    481|   474|    479|        24|   481|    487
  Master's degree ...................|   514|    518|        29|   513|    523|   515|    526|        31|   513|    524|   511|    520|        29|   516|    526
  Doctor's or related degree ........|   548|    552|        24|   548|    554|   547|    554|        22|   542|    552|   540|    547|        21|   542|    552
  Other .............................|   430|    438|         1|   435|    446|   442|    454|         1|   441|    453|   439|    457|         1|   442|    464
  Undecided .........................|   502|    503|        20|   505|    510|   508|    514|        19|   514|    523|   513|    521|        23|   517|    527
                                     |      |       |          |      |       |      |       |          |      |       |      |       |          |      |
Family income                        |      |       |          |      |       |      |       |          |      |       |      |       |          |      |
  Less than $10,000 .................|   429|    444|         4|   427|    446|   425|    447|        ‡ |   420|    444|   422|    450|         5|   426|    458
  $10,000, but less than $20,000 ....|   456|    464|         8|   451|    463|   447|    460|        ‡ |   437|    452|   440|    457|         8|   443|    463
  $20,000, but less than $30,000 ....|   482|    482|        10|   477|    482|   471|    478|        ‡ |   460|    467|   459|    467|        10|   463|    474
  $30,000, but less than $40,000 ....|   497|    495|        12|   495|    497|   490|    493|        ‡ |   480|    484|   478|    482|        11|   480|    487
  $40,000, but less than $50,000 ....|   509|    507|        10|   506|    509|   503|    505|        ‡ |   495|    498|   493|    496|         9|   496|    500
  $50,000, but less than $60,000 ....|   517|    517|         9|   514|    518|   511|    515|        ‡ |   504|    508|   501|    504|         9|   505|    509
  $60,000, but less than $70,000 ....|   524|    525|         7|   521|    525|   517|    522|        ‡ |   511|    514|   507|    510|         8|   511|    515
  $70,000, but less than $80,000 ....|   531|    533|         6|   527|    532|   524|    530|        ‡ |   518|    523|   515|    518|         8|   517|    522
  $80,000 to $100,000 ...............|   541|    544|         7|   539|    546|   536|    543|        ‡ |   529|    536|   527|    530|        12|   529|    534
  More than $100,000 ................|   560|    569|         9|   559|    572|   558|    571|        ‡ |   555|    568|   553|    562|        20|   554|    565
                                     |      |       |          |      |       |      |       |          |      |       |      |       |          |      |
Highest level of parental education  |      |       |          |      |       |      |       |          |      |       |      |       |          |      |
  No high school diploma ............|   414|    439|         4|   411|    441|   413|    442|         4|   413|    443|   415|    445|         5|   419|    452
  High school diploma ...............|   475|    474|        31|   473|    477|   472|    477|        33|   470|    475|   469|    474|        33|   471|    479
  Associate's degree ................|   489|    487|         7|   489|    491|   488|    491|         9|   487|    491|   486|    490|         9|   489|    494
  Bachelor's degree .................|   525|    529|        25|   525|    532|   525|    533|        29|   525|    534|   523|    531|        28|   527|    536
  Graduate degree ...................|   556|    558|        23|   556|    563|   558|    566|        25|   559|    569|   558|    564|        25|   561|    570
_____________________________________|______|_______|__________|______|_______|______|_______|__________|______|_______|______|_______|__________|______|_______
#Rounds to zero.
‡Reporting standards not met.
\1\Percentage distribution not reported since this year had less than 80 percent combined unit and item response rate.
NOTE: Data are for seniors who took the SAT Test any time during their high school years through March of their senior year. If a student took a test more than once, the most recent score is used. The SAT was formerly know as the Scholastic Assessment Test and the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Possible scores on each part of the SAT range from 200 to 800. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding and survey item nonresponse.
SOURCE: College Entrance Examination Board, National Report on College-Bound Seniors, selected years 1995-96 through 2004-05. (This table was prepared August 2005.)


2005 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest