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Digest of Education Statistics
2011 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 156. SAT mean scores of college-bound seniors and percentage of graduates taking SAT, by state: Selected years, 1995-96 through 2010-11
State 1995-96 2000-01 2005-06 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 Percent of
graduates
taking SAT,
2009-101
Percent of
graduates
taking SAT,
2010-111
Critical reading Mathe-
matics
Critical reading Mathe-
matics
Critical reading Mathe-
matics
Writing2 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 19
United States 505 508 506 514 503 518 497 501 515 493 501 516 492 497 514 489 47
Alabama 565 558 559 554 565 561 565 557 552 549 556 550 544 546 541 536 7 8
Alaska 521 513 514 510 517 517 493 520 516 492 518 515 491 515 511 487 48 52
Arizona 525 521 523 525 521 528 507 516 521 497 519 525 500 517 523 499 25 28
Arkansas 566 550 562 550 574 568 567 572 572 556 566 566 552 568 570 554 4 5
California 495 511 498 517 501 518 501 500 513 498 501 516 500 499 515 499 50 53
                                     
Colorado 536 538 539 542 558 564 548 568 575 555 568 572 555 570 573 556 18 19
Connecticut 507 504 509 510 512 516 511 509 513 512 509 514 513 509 513 513 84 87
Delaware 508 495 501 499 495 500 484 495 498 484 493 495 481 489 490 476 71 74
District of Columbia 489 473 482 474 487 472 482 466 451 461 474 464 466 469 457 459 76 79
Florida 498 496 498 499 496 497 480 497 498 480 496 498 479 487 489 471 59 64
                                     
Georgia 484 477 491 489 494 496 487 490 491 479 488 490 475 485 487 473 74 80
Hawaii 485 510 486 515 482 509 472 479 502 469 483 505 470 479 500 469 58 64
Idaho 543 536 543 542 543 545 525 541 540 520 543 541 517 542 539 517 19 20
Illinois 564 575 576 589 591 609 586 588 604 583 585 600 577 599 617 591 6 5
Indiana 494 494 499 501 498 509 486 496 507 480 494 505 477 493 501 475 64 68
                                     
Iowa 590 600 593 603 602 613 591 610 615 588 603 613 582 596 606 575 3 3
Kansas 579 571 577 580 582 590 566 581 589 564 590 595 567 580 591 563 6 7
Kentucky 549 544 550 550 562 562 555 573 573 561 575 575 563 576 572 563 6 6
Louisiana 559 550 564 562 570 571 571 563 558 555 555 550 547 555 550 546 7 8
Maine3 504 498 506 500 501 501 491 468 467 455 468 467 454 469 469 453 92 93
                                     
Maryland 507 504 508 510 503 509 499 500 502 495 501 506 495 499 502 491 70 74
Massachusetts 507 504 511 515 513 524 510 514 526 510 512 526 509 513 527 509 86 89
Michigan 557 565 561 572 568 583 555 584 603 575 585 605 576 583 604 573 5 5
Minnesota 582 593 580 589 591 600 574 595 609 578 594 607 580 593 608 577 7 7
Mississippi 569 557 566 551 556 541 562 567 554 559 566 548 552 564 543 553 3 4
                                     
Missouri 570 569 577 577 587 591 582 595 600 584 593 595 580 592 593 579 4 5
Montana 546 547 539 539 538 545 524 541 542 519 538 538 517 539 537 516 24 26
Nebraska 567 568 562 568 576 583 566 587 594 572 585 593 568 585 591 569 4 5
Nevada 508 507 509 515 498 508 481 501 505 479 496 501 473 494 496 470 43 47
New Hampshire 520 514 520 516 520 524 509 523 523 510 520 524 510 523 525 511 77 77
                                     
New Jersey 498 505 499 513 496 515 496 496 513 496 495 514 497 495 516 497 76 78
New Mexico 554 548 551 542 557 549 543 553 546 534 553 549 534 548 541 529 11 12
New York 497 499 495 505 493 510 483 485 502 478 484 499 478 485 499 476 85 89
North Carolina 490 486 493 499 495 513 485 495 511 480 497 511 477 493 508 474 63 67
North Dakota 596 599 592 599 610 617 588 590 593 566 580 594 559 586 612 561 4 3
                                     
Ohio 536 535 534 539 535 544 521 537 546 523 538 548 522 539 545 522 21 21
Oklahoma 566 557 567 561 576 574 563 575 571 557 569 568 547 571 565 547 5 6
Oregon 523 521 526 526 523 529 503 523 525 499 523 524 499 520 521 499 54 56
Pennsylvania 498 492 500 499 493 500 483 493 501 483 492 501 480 493 501 479 71 73
Rhode Island 501 491 501 499 495 502 490 498 496 494 494 495 488 495 493 489 67 68
                                     
South Carolina 480 474 486 488 487 498 480 486 496 470 484 495 468 482 490 464 66 70
South Dakota 574 566 577 582 590 604 578 589 600 569 592 603 571 584 591 562 3 4
Tennessee 563 552 562 553 573 569 572 571 565 565 576 571 565 575 568 567 10 10
Texas 495 500 493 499 491 506 487 486 506 475 484 505 473 479 502 465 53 58
Utah 583 575 575 570 560 557 550 559 558 540 568 559 547 563 559 545 6 6
                                     
Vermont 506 500 511 506 513 519 502 518 518 506 519 521 506 515 518 505 66 67
Virginia 507 496 510 501 512 513 500 511 512 498 512 512 497 512 509 495 67 71
Washington 519 519 527 527 527 532 511 524 531 507 524 532 508 523 529 508 54 57
West Virginia 526 506 527 512 519 510 515 511 501 499 515 507 500 514 501 497 16 17
Wisconsin 577 586 584 596 588 600 577 594 608 582 595 604 579 590 602 575 4 5
Wyoming 544 544 547 545 548 555 537 567 568 550 570 567 546 572 569 551 5 5
—Not available.
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 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 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. 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, 1995-96 through 2010-11, retrieved September 14, 2011, from http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/SAT_Trends_Report_9_12_2011.pdf. (This table was prepared September 2011.)

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