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Digest of Education Statistics
2009 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 146. SAT mean scores of college-bound seniors and percentage of graduates taking SAT, by state or jurisdiction: Selected years, 1987-88 through 2008-09
State or jurisdiction 1987-88 1995-96 2000-01 2005-06 2007-08 2008-09 Percent of
graduates
taking SAT,
2007-081
Percent of
graduates
taking SAT,
2008-091
Critical reading Mathe-
matics
Critical reading Mathe-
matics
Critical reading Mathe-
matics
Critical reading Mathe-
matics
Writing2 Critical reading Mathe-
matics
Writing2 Critical reading Mathe-
matics
Writing2
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
United States 505 501 505 508 506 514 503 518 497 502 515 494 501 515 493 45 46
Alabama 554 540 565 558 559 554 565 561 565 565 557 554 557 552 549 8 7
Alaska 518 501 521 513 514 510 517 517 493 520 520 493 520 516 492 45 46
Arizona 531 523 525 521 523 525 521 528 507 516 522 500 516 521 497 26 26
Arkansas 554 536 566 550 562 550 574 568 567 575 567 559 572 572 556 5 5
California 500 508 495 511 498 517 501 518 501 499 515 498 500 513 498 48 49
                                 
Colorado 537 532 536 538 539 542 558 564 548 564 570 553 568 575 555 21 20
Connecticut 513 498 507 504 509 510 512 516 511 509 513 513 509 513 512 83 83
Delaware 510 493 508 495 501 499 495 500 484 499 498 490 495 498 484 70 71
District of Columbia 479 461 489 473 482 474 487 472 482 470 455 465 466 451 461 84 79
Florida 499 495 498 496 498 499 496 497 480 496 497 481 497 498 480 54 59
                                 
Georgia 480 473 484 477 491 489 494 496 487 491 493 482 490 491 479 70 71
Hawaii 484 505 485 510 486 515 482 509 472 481 502 470 479 502 469 58 58
Idaho 543 523 543 536 543 542 543 545 525 540 540 517 541 540 520 18 18
Illinois 540 540 564 575 576 589 591 609 586 583 601 578 588 604 583 7 6
Indiana 490 486 494 494 499 501 498 509 486 496 508 481 496 507 480 62 63
                                 
Iowa 587 588 590 600 593 603 602 613 591 603 612 582 610 615 588 3 3
Kansas 568 557 579 571 577 580 582 590 566 580 589 564 581 589 564 7 7
Kentucky 551 535 549 544 550 550 562 562 555 568 570 554 573 573 561 8 7
Louisiana 551 533 559 550 564 562 570 571 571 566 564 558 563 558 555 7 7
Maine3 508 493 504 498 506 500 501 501 491 469 466 461 468 467 455 87 90
                                 
Maryland 509 501 507 504 508 510 503 509 499 499 502 497 500 502 495 69 69
Massachusetts 508 499 507 504 511 515 513 524 510 514 525 513 514 526 510 83 84
Michigan 532 533 557 565 561 572 568 583 555 581 598 572 584 603 575 6 5
Minnesota 546 549 582 593 580 589 591 600 574 596 609 579 595 609 578 8 7
Mississippi 557 539 569 557 566 551 556 541 562 574 556 566 567 554 559 3 4
                                 
Missouri 547 539 570 569 577 577 587 591 582 594 597 584 595 600 584 5 5
Montana 547 547 546 547 539 539 538 545 524 541 548 523 541 542 519 24 22
Nebraska 562 561 567 568 562 568 576 583 566 581 585 567 587 594 572 5 4
Nevada 517 510 508 507 509 515 498 508 481 498 506 478 501 505 479 40 42
New Hampshire 523 511 520 514 520 516 520 524 509 521 523 511 523 523 510 74 75
                                 
New Jersey 500 495 498 505 499 513 496 515 496 495 513 496 496 513 496 76 76
New Mexico 553 543 554 548 551 542 557 549 543 557 548 540 553 546 534 12 11
New York 497 495 497 499 495 505 493 510 483 488 504 481 485 502 478 84 85
North Carolina 478 470 490 486 493 499 495 513 485 496 511 482 495 511 480 63 63
North Dakota 572 569 596 599 592 599 610 617 588 594 604 568 590 593 566 3 3
                                 
Ohio 529 521 536 535 534 539 535 544 521 534 544 521 537 546 523 24 22
Oklahoma 558 542 566 557 567 561 576 574 563 572 572 557 575 571 557 6 5
Oregon 517 507 523 521 526 526 523 529 503 523 527 502 523 525 499 53 52
Pennsylvania 502 489 498 492 500 499 493 500 483 494 501 483 493 501 483 71 71
Rhode Island 508 496 501 491 501 499 495 502 490 495 498 493 498 496 494 66 66
                                 
South Carolina 477 468 480 474 486 488 487 498 480 488 497 476 486 496 470 61 67
South Dakota 585 573 574 566 577 582 590 604 578 595 596 575 589 600 569 3 3
Tennessee 560 543 563 552 562 553 573 569 572 571 570 566 571 565 565 11 10
Texas 494 490 495 500 493 499 491 506 487 488 505 480 486 506 475 50 51
Utah 572 553 583 575 575 570 560 557 550 561 557 543 559 558 540 6 6
                                 
Vermont 514 499 506 500 511 506 513 519 502 519 523 507 518 518 506 64 64
Virginia 507 498 507 496 510 501 512 513 500 511 512 499 511 512 498 68 68
Washington 525 517 519 519 527 527 527 532 511 526 533 509 524 531 507 52 53
West Virginia 528 519 526 506 527 512 519 510 515 512 501 498 511 501 499 19 18
Wisconsin 549 551 577 586 584 596 588 600 577 587 604 577 594 608 582 5 5
Wyoming 550 545 544 544 547 545 548 555 537 562 574 541 567 568 550 6 5
1 Participation rate is based on the projection of high school graduates by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), and the number of seniors who took the SAT in each state.
2 Writing data are based on students who took the SAT writing section, which was introduced in March 2005.
3 Beginning with the spring SAT administration in 2006, all Maine high school juniors, including all students in their third year of high school, are required to take SAT tests in critical reading, writing, and mathematics.
NOTE: Data are for seniors who took the SAT 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 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. The critical reading section was formerly known as the verbal section.
SOURCE: College Entrance Examination Board, College-Bound Seniors Tables and Related Items, selected years, 1987-88 through 2008-09, retrieved August 25, 2009, from http://professionals.collegeboard.com/data-reports-research/sat/cb-seniors-2009. (This table was prepared August 2009.)

2009 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest