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Digest of Education Statistics
2015 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 226.30. SAT mean scores and percentage distribution of college-bound seniors, by selected student characteristics: Selected years, 1995-96 through 2014-15
Selected student characteristic 1995-96 2000-01 2005-06 2010-11 2014-15
Critical reading score Mathe-
matics
score
Percent-age
distri-bution
Critical reading score Mathe-
matics
score
Percent-age
distri-bution
Critical reading score Mathe-
matics
score
Writing score Percent-age
distri-bution
Critical reading score Mathe-
matics
score
Writing score Percent-age
distri-bution
Critical reading score Mathe-
matics
score
Writing score 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 505 508 100 506 514 100 503 518 497 100 497 514 489 100 495 511 484 100
High school rank                                    
Top decile 591 606 22 588 607 24 580 604 577 31 575 606 572 35 574 605 568 35
Second decile 530 539 22 526 540 23 516 537 511 25 510 535 503 27 511 532 499 26
Second quintile 494 496 28 490 497 26 484 498 476 20 482 498 470 18 482 494 467 18
Bottom three quintiles1 443 449 435 23 438 448 426 20 438 443 423 21
Third quintile 455 448 24 454 452 22
Fourth quintile 429 418 4 423 417 4
Fifth quintile 411 401 1 407 401 1
                                     
High school grade point average                                    
A+ (97-100) 617 632 6 609 626 7 602 621 599 7 596 620 595 6 592 617 587 7
A (93-96) 573 583 14 566 581 17 563 582 559 18 560 583 556 19 558 578 551 21
A- (90-92) 545 554 15 540 552 17 534 552 529 18 528 548 521 19 523 540 513 20
B (80-89) 486 485 49 482 486 47 479 489 471 46 469 480 458 45 463 472 450 43
C (70-79) 432 426 15 428 425 12 426 428 414 11 416 421 401 10 407 412 393 9
D, E, or F (below 70) 414 408 # 403 404 # 406 413 389 # 409 425 398 # 386 404 372 #
                                     
High school type                                    
Public 502 506 83 502 510 83 500 514 492 83 494 506 483 84 489 498 475 84
Private, religiously affiliated 525 510 12 530 523 12 531 529 528 11 531 533 528 10 533 536 527 9
Private, independent 547 556 5 549 567 5 544 573 550 5 541 579 550 6 532 579 538 7
                                     
Intended college major2                                    
Agriculture, agriculture operations,
      and related sciences
491 484 2 487 484 1 481 485 469 1 475 484 461 1 470 474 455 1
Architecture and related services 492 519 3 493 521 2 488 528 485 3 490 534 485 2 482 522 474 1
Area, ethnic, cultural, and gender
      studies
545 513 531 # 537 505 521 #
Arts: visual/performing 520 497 6 518 501 8 516 502 507 9 508 497 499 8 503 490 490 7
Biological and biomedical sciences 546 545 6 545 549 5 540 554 532 6 540 557 533 6 537 549 527 7
Business management, marketing, and
      related support services
483 500 13 489 511 14 486 511 481 15 488 522 484 11 494 520 486 12
Communication, journalism,
      and related programs
527 497 4 527 506 4 522 504 520 4 519 502 516 3 516 496 509 3
Computer and information sciences
      and support services
497 522 3 501 533 7 503 534 482 4 511 539 485 2 530 559 505 3
Construction trades 422 451 399 # 429 450 403 #
Education 487 477 8 483 481 9 480 484 478 8 480 487 476 6 481 480 473 4
Engineering 525 569 8 523 572 9 519 577 506 8 528 584 513 8 526 575 509 11
Engineering technologies/
      technicians
464 511 447 2 475 523 458 1
English language and literature/
      letters
605 545 1 606 549 1 597 541 584 2 584 529 570 1 573 519 557 1
Family and consumer sciences/
      human sciences3
458 452 # 459 458 # 462 466 461 # 456 461 452 # 450 451 445 #
Foreign languages, literatures,
      and linguistics
556 534 # 557 540 1 572 549 563 1 567 542 557 1 555 530 540 1
General/interdisciplinary 576 553 # 554 539 # 542 532 532 #
Health professions and related
      clinical services
500 505 19 494 502 15 485 498 483 18 487 502 484 19 484 492 477 19
History 542 510 511 1 539 504 507 1
Legal professions and studies 512 507 500 3 520 509 505 2
Liberal arts and sciences, general
      studies, and humanities
552 532 541 1 549 530 538 1
Library science and administration 554 512 # 574 504 # 579 509 542 # 564 505 516 # 550 502 511 #
Mathematics and statistics 552 628 1 549 625 1 539 624 537 1 518 603 519 1 541 616 538 1
Mechanic and repair technologies/
      technician
421 451 400 # 416 441 396 #
Military technologies and applied
      sciences
503 505 # 507 511 # 510 521 487 1 467 471 433 # 483 490 455 1
Multi/interdisciplinary studies 582 580 570 # 579 585 567 1
Natural resources and conservation 525 524 506 1 523 519 502 #
Parks, recreation, leisure, and
      fitness studies
444 468 435 1 436 455 427 1
Personal and culinary services 457 456 440 # 444 440 426 #
Philosophy and religious studies 560 536 # 561 539 1 557 537 535 1 557 535 530 # 542 523 518 #
Physical sciences 575 595 1 568 588 1 557 589 542 2 553 582 537 1 559 584 539 1
Precision production 436 468 422 # 461 467 419 #
Psychology 505 494 497 5 500 484 489 5
Public administration and social
      services
458 448 3 461 455 2 462 461 454 3 467 459 462 # 466 455 458 #
Security and protective services 445 454 432 2 445 448 432 3
Social sciences and history 532 509 11 531 512 10 539 519 525 9
Social sciences 573 558 559 2 560 545 544 2
Technical and vocational 435 441 1 444 451 1 437 454 421 1
Theology and religious vocations 539 522 513 # 533 515 509 #
Transportation and materials moving 465 496 446 # 463 481 441 #
Other 453 462 443 2 450 456 439 2
Undecided 500 507 7 515 524 7 512 530 502 3 530 545 522 8 532 543 520 7
                                     
Degree-level goal                                    
Certificate program 434 439 1 443 455 1 443 462 435 1 445 464 434 1 435 454 424 1
Associate's degree 422 415 2 419 416 2 416 420 409 1 412 416 400 1 408 409 395 1
Bachelor's degree 476 476 23 478 483 25 477 487 469 25 478 490 467 30 482 490 468 31
Master's degree 514 518 29 516 526 31 512 525 505 30 506 524 499 29 510 525 499 31
Doctor's or related degree 548 552 24 547 554 21 539 553 532 20 534 550 527 21 535 547 525 21
Other 430 438 1 438 449 1 439 456 436 1 425 451 423 1 408 437 405 1
Undecided 502 503 20 511 517 19 515 528 508 22 509 522 499 16 504 517 492 14
                                     
Family income                                    
Less than $20,000 434 460 429 13 433 455 426 14
$20,000, but less than $40,000 464 480 454 16 466 479 454 16
$40,000, but less than $60,000 487 499 475 15 488 497 473 14
$60,000, but less than $80,000 502 512 489 14 503 510 487 12
$80,000, but less than $100,000 515 527 503 12 517 526 501 11
$100,000, but less than $120,000 526 539 515 10 528 539 514 10
$120,000, but less than $140,000 530 544 520 5 531 542 518 5
$140,000, but less than $160,000 538 552 529 4 539 551 526 4
$160,000, but less than $200,000 543 557 536 5 545 557 534 5
More than $200,000 568 586 567 7 570 587 563 8
                                     
Highest level of parental education                                    
No high school diploma 414 439 4 411 438 4 418 445 418 4 421 449 418 6 420 443 415 7
High school diploma 475 474 35 472 476 32 467 478 460 31 463 476 452 31 461 471 448 29
Associate's degree 489 487 8 489 491 9 484 493 474 8 480 489 466 8 479 483 462 8
Bachelor's degree 525 529 28 525 533 29 522 536 514 30 522 538 514 31 521 537 509 31
Graduate degree 556 558 25 559 567 26 558 571 552 27 559 574 554 25 560 575 550 25
—Not available.
†Not applicable.
#Rounds to zero.
1 Beginning in 2005-06, the College Board has reported the third, fourth, and fifth quintiles as the bottom three quintiles instead of reporting them separately as in previous years.
2 Data may not be comparable over time because of additions to the list of majors and changes in subspecialties within majors.
3 Prior to 2006-07, family and consumer sciences/human sciences was called home economics.
NOTE: Prior to 2010-11, data 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 the SAT more than once, the most recent score on each section was used. Possible scores on each section of the SAT range from 200 to 800. Prior to 2006, the critical reading section was known as the verbal section. The writing section was introduced in March 2005. The SAT was formerly known as the Scholastic Assessment Test and the Scholastic Aptitude Test. 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 2014-15, retrieved September 11, 2015, from https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/sat/total-group-2015.pdf. (This table was prepared September 2015.)

2015 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest