Table 173.

SAT mean scores and percentage distribution of college-bound seniors, by selected student characteristics: Selected years, 1995-96 through 2011-12

Selected student characteristic	1995-96			2000-01			2005-06				2010-11				2011-12
	Critical reading score1	Mathe- matics score	Percent- age distri- bution	Critical reading score1	Mathe- matics score	Percent- age distri- bution	Critical reading score1	Mathe- matics score	Writing score2	Percent- age distri- bution	Critical reading score1	Mathe- matics score	Writing score2	Percent- age distri- bution	Critical reading score1	Mathe- matics score	Writing score2	Percent- age distri- bution
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19
All students	505	508	100	506	514	100	503	518	497	100	497	514	489	100	496	514	488	100
High school rank
Top decile	591	606	22	588	607	24	580	604	577	31	575	606	572	35	573	606	571	36
Second decile	530	539	22	526	540	23	516	537	511	25	510	535	503	27	508	534	500	27
Second quintile	494	496	28	490	497	26	484	498	476	20	482	498	470	18	480	498	467	17
Third quintile	455	448	24	454	452	22	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Fourth quintile	429	418	4	423	417	4	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Fifth quintile	411	401	1	407	401	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Bottom three quintiles3	—	—	—	—	—	—	443	449	435	23	438	448	426	20	435	446	423	20
High school grade point average
A+ (97-100)	617	632	6	609	626	7	602	621	599	7	596	620	595	6	593	620	593	6
A (93-96)	573	583	14	566	581	17	563	582	559	18	560	583	556	19	557	581	554	20
A- (90-92)	545	554	15	540	552	17	534	552	529	18	528	548	521	19	524	545	518	19
B (80-89)	486	485	49	482	486	47	479	489	471	46	469	480	458	45	466	478	455	44
C (70-79)	432	426	15	428	425	12	426	428	414	11	416	421	401	10	414	421	400	10
D, E, or F (below 70)	414	408	#	403	404	#	406	413	389	#	409	425	398	#	411	429	399	#
High school type
Public	502	506	83	502	510	83	500	514	492	83	494	506	483	84	491	505	481	84
Private, religiously affiliated	525	510	12	530	523	12	531	529	528	11	531	533	528	10	531	534	529	10
Private, independent	547	556	5	549	567	5	544	573	550	5	541	579	550	6	539	580	548	6
Intended college major4
Agriculture and related sciences	491	484	2	487	484	1	481	485	469	1	475	484	461	1	473	481	458	1
Architecture/environmental design	492	519	3	493	521	2	488	528	485	3	490	534	485	2	490	535	484	2
Area, ethnic, cultural and gender
studies	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	545	513	531	#	543	515	529	#
Arts: visual/performing	520	497	6	518	501	8	516	502	507	9	508	497	499	8	506	498	496	7
Biological sciences	546	545	6	545	549	5	540	554	532	6	540	557	533	6	538	555	531	7
Business and commerce	483	500	13	489	511	14	486	511	481	15	488	522	484	11	488	522	485	11
Communications and journalism	527	497	4	527	506	4	522	504	520	4	519	502	516	3	517	500	513	3
Computer or information sciences	497	522	3	501	533	7	503	534	482	4	511	539	485	2	512	544	487	2
Construction trades	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	422	451	399	#	420	454	398	#
Education	487	477	8	483	481	9	480	484	478	8	480	487	476	6	480	486	477	5
Engineering	525	569	8	523	572	9	519	577	506	8	528	584	513	8	526	582	511	9
Engineering technologies/
technicians	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	464	511	447	2	468	521	453	2
English language and literature/
letters	605	545	1	606	549	1	597	541	584	2	584	529	570	1	580	527	564	1
Family and consumer sciences/
human sciences5	458	452	#	459	458	#	462	466	461	#	456	461	452	#	453	458	450	#
Foreign languages, literatures,
and linguistics	556	534	#	557	540	1	572	549	563	1	567	542	557	1	564	541	553	1
General/interdisciplinary	576	553	#	554	539	#	542	532	532	#	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†
Health and allied services	500	505	19	494	502	15	485	498	483	18	487	502	484	19	485	499	482	19
History	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	542	510	511	1	542	513	511	1
Legal professions and studies	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	512	507	500	3	513	508	502	3
Liberal arts and sciences, general
studies, and humanities	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	552	532	541	1	548	533	539	1
Library and archival sciences	554	512	#	574	504	#	579	509	542	#	564	505	516	#	561	502	520	#
Mathematics	552	628	1	549	625	1	539	624	537	1	518	603	519	1	530	614	532	1
Mechanic and repair technologies/
technician	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	421	451	400	#	414	450	396	#
Military sciences	503	505	#	507	511	#	510	521	487	1	467	471	433	#	490	503	460	#
Multi/interdisciplinary studies	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	582	580	570	#	581	587	570	#
Natural resources and conservation	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	525	524	506	1	520	523	501	1
Parks, recreation, leisure, and
fitness studies	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	444	468	435	1	439	464	430	1
Personal and culinary services	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	457	456	440	#	453	455	436	1
Philosophy/religious studies	560	536	#	561	539	1	557	537	535	1	557	535	530	#	551	534	527	#
Physical sciences	575	595	1	568	588	1	557	589	542	2	553	582	537	1	552	583	537	2
Precision production	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	436	468	422	#	460	477	422	#
Psychology	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	505	494	497	5	502	491	493	5
Public affairs and services	458	448	3	461	455	2	462	461	454	3	467	459	462	#	460	455	456	#
Security and protective services	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	445	454	432	2	445	455	433	3
Social sciences and history	532	509	11	531	512	10	539	519	525	9	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†
Social sciences	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	573	558	559	2	568	556	554	2
Technical and vocational	435	441	1	444	451	1	437	454	421	1	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†
Theology and religious vocations	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	539	522	513	#	537	523	515	#
Transportation and materials moving	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	465	496	446	#	457	491	441	#
Other	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	453	462	443	2	451	463	442	2
Undecided	500	507	7	515	524	7	512	530	502	3	530	545	522	8	531	548	524	7
Degree-level goal
Certificate program	434	439	1	443	455	1	443	462	435	1	445	464	434	1	443	464	433	1
Associate's degree	422	415	2	419	416	2	416	420	409	1	412	416	400	1	411	416	399	1
Bachelor's degree	476	476	23	478	483	25	477	487	469	25	478	490	467	30	477	490	466	30
Master's degree	514	518	29	516	526	31	512	525	505	30	506	524	499	29	505	524	498	30
Doctor's or related degree	548	552	24	547	554	21	539	553	532	20	534	550	527	21	532	549	526	22
Other	430	438	1	438	449	1	439	456	436	1	425	451	423	1	416	447	416	1
Undecided	502	503	20	511	517	19	515	528	508	22	509	522	499	16	505	522	496	16
Family income
Less than $20,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	434	460	429	13	433	461	428	14
$20,000, but less than $40,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	464	480	454	16	463	481	453	17
$40,000, but less than $60,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	487	499	475	15	485	500	473	14
$60,000, but less than $80,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	502	512	489	14	499	512	486	13
$80,000, but less than $100,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	515	527	503	12	511	525	499	11
$100,000, but less than $120,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	526	539	515	10	523	539	512	10
$120,000, but less than $140,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	530	544	520	5	527	543	517	5
$140,000, but less than $160,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	538	552	529	4	534	551	525	4
$160,000, but less than $200,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	543	557	536	5	540	557	534	5
More than $200,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	568	586	567	7	567	589	566	8
Highest level of parental education
No high school diploma	414	439	4	411	438	4	418	445	418	4	421	449	418	6	420	450	418	6
High school diploma	475	474	35	472	476	32	467	478	460	31	463	476	452	31	463	477	452	30
Associate's degree	489	487	8	489	491	9	484	493	474	8	480	489	466	8	479	489	465	8
Bachelor's degree	525	529	28	525	533	29	522	536	514	30	522	538	514	31	522	540	513	31
Graduate degree	556	558	25	559	567	26	558	571	552	27	559	574	554	25	560	577	555	25

—Not available.

†Not applicable.

#Rounds to zero.

1 Prior to 2006, the critical reading section was known as the verbal section.

2 Writing data are based on students who took the SAT writing section, which was introduced in March 2005.

3 Beginning in 2005-06, the College Board has reported third, fourth, and fifth quintiles as the bottom three quintiles instead of reporting them separately as in previous years.

4 Data may not be comparable over time because of additions to the list of majors and changes in subspecialties within majors.

5 Prior to 2006-07, family and consumer sciences/human sciences was called home economics.

NOTE: Data for 2009-10 and earlier years are for seniors who took the SAT any time during their high school years through March of their senior year. Data for 2010-11 onwards are for seniors who took the SAT any time during their high school years through June of their senior year. If a student took a test more than once, the most recent score was used. The SAT was formerly known 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.

SOURCE: College Entrance Examination Board, College-Bound Seniors: Total Group Profile [National] Report, selected years, 1995-96 through 2011-12, retrieved September 30, 2012, from http://research.collegeboard.org/programs/sat/data/cb-seniors-2012. (This table was prepared September 2012.)