Table 226.40.

Mean SAT scores of college-bound seniors and percentage of graduates taking the SAT, by state: Selected years, 1995-96 through 2015-16

State	1995-96		2000-01		2005-06			2010-11			2014-15			2015-161			Percent taking SAT2
	Critical reading score	Mathe- matics score	Critical reading score	Mathe- matics score	Critical reading score	Mathe- matics score	Writing score	Critical reading score	Mathe- matics score	Writing score	Critical reading score	Mathe- matics score	Writing score	Critical reading score	Mathe- matics score	Writing score	2005-06		2014-15
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	497	514	489	495	511	484	494	508	482	48		49
Alabama	565	558	559	554	565	561	565	546	541	536	545	538	533	557	551	543	9		6
Alaska	521	513	514	510	517	517	493	515	511	487	509	503	482	485	479	460	51		52
Arizona	525	521	523	525	521	528	507	517	523	499	523	527	502	528	532	505	32		34
Arkansas	566	550	562	550	574	568	567	568	570	554	568	569	551	570	569	553	5		4
California	495	511	498	517	501	518	501	499	515	499	495	506	491	491	500	485	49		60
Colorado	536	538	539	542	558	564	548	570	573	556	582	587	567	587	589	571	26		12
Connecticut	507	504	509	510	512	516	511	509	513	513	504	506	504	500	500	497	84		89
Delaware3	508	495	501	499	495	500	484	489	490	476	462	461	445	458	453	440	73		100
District of
Columbia3	489	473	482	474	487	472	482	469	457	459	441	440	432	433	433	419	78	4	100
Florida	498	496	498	499	496	497	480	487	489	471	486	480	468	481	475	462	65		74
Georgia	484	477	491	489	494	496	487	485	487	473	490	485	475	493	490	476	70		77
Hawaii	485	510	486	515	482	509	472	479	500	469	487	508	477	491	511	476	60		61
Idaho3	543	536	543	542	543	545	525	542	539	517	467	463	442	465	453	446	19		100
Illinois	564	575	576	589	591	609	586	599	617	591	599	616	587	605	622	592	9		4
Indiana	494	494	499	501	498	509	486	493	501	475	496	499	478	496	499	477	62		71
Iowa	590	600	593	603	602	613	591	596	606	575	589	600	566	602	611	572	4		3
Kansas	579	571	577	580	582	590	566	580	591	563	588	592	568	594	604	571	8		5
Kentucky	549	544	550	550	562	562	555	576	572	563	588	587	574	604	599	586	11		4
Louisiana	559	550	564	562	570	571	571	555	550	546	563	559	553	584	577	571	6		5
Maine5	504	498	506	500	501	501	491	469	469	453	468	473	451	486	485	472	73		96
Maryland	507	504	508	510	503	509	499	499	502	491	491	493	478	490	490	476	70		79
Massachusetts	507	504	511	515	513	524	510	513	527	509	516	529	507	517	530	506	85		86
Michigan	557	565	561	572	568	583	555	583	604	573	594	609	585	594	608	581	10		4
Minnesota	582	593	580	589	591	600	574	593	608	577	595	607	576	607	620	588	10		5
Mississippi	569	557	566	551	556	541	562	564	543	553	580	563	570	595	584	585	4		3
Missouri	570	569	577	577	587	591	582	592	593	579	596	599	582	605	608	589	7		4
Montana	546	547	539	539	538	545	524	539	537	516	561	556	538	565	557	539	28		15
Nebraska	567	568	562	568	576	583	566	585	591	569	589	590	576	590	595	573	7		4
Nevada	508	507	509	515	498	508	481	494	496	470	494	494	470	511	509	488	40		50
New Hampshire	520	514	520	516	520	524	509	523	525	511	525	530	511	527	531	510	82		70
New Jersey	498	505	499	513	496	515	496	495	516	497	500	521	499	495	514	492	82		81
New Mexico	554	548	551	542	557	549	543	548	541	529	551	544	528	553	545	525	13		12
New York	497	499	495	505	493	510	483	485	499	476	489	502	478	489	501	477	88		75
North Carolina	490	486	493	499	495	513	485	493	508	474	498	504	476	502	508	475	71		63
North Dakota	596	599	592	599	610	617	588	586	612	561	597	608	586	585	594	560	4		2
Ohio	536	535	534	539	535	544	521	539	545	522	557	563	537	556	563	534	28		14
Oklahoma	566	557	567	561	576	574	563	571	565	547	576	569	548	582	573	553	7		4
Oregon	523	521	526	526	523	529	503	520	521	499	523	521	502	525	520	500	55		47
Pennsylvania	498	492	500	499	493	500	483	493	501	479	499	504	482	500	506	481	74		71
Rhode Island	501	491	501	499	495	502	490	495	493	489	494	494	484	490	491	480	69		77
South Carolina	480	474	486	488	487	498	480	482	490	464	488	487	467	494	493	471	62		65
South Dakota	574	566	577	582	590	604	578	584	591	562	592	597	564	586	581	558	4		3
Tennessee	563	552	562	553	573	569	572	575	568	567	581	574	568	586	582	571	15		7
Texas	495	500	493	499	491	506	487	479	502	465	470	486	454	466	478	449	52		64
Utah	583	575	575	570	560	557	550	563	559	545	579	575	554	579	579	558	7		5
Vermont	506	500	511	506	513	519	502	515	518	505	523	524	507	520	520	501	67		61
Virginia	507	496	510	501	512	513	500	512	509	495	518	516	499	520	517	498	73		72
Washington	519	519	527	527	527	532	511	523	529	508	502	510	484	501	506	481	54		66
West Virginia	526	506	527	512	519	510	515	514	501	497	509	497	495	525	511	502	20		15
Wisconsin	577	586	584	596	588	600	577	590	602	575	591	605	575	605	618	588	6		4
Wyoming	544	544	547	545	548	555	537	572	569	551	589	586	562	603	600	587	10		3

1 Data for 2015-16 seniors cannot be compared to data for previous graduating cohorts because the 2015-16 data include testing only through January of the senior year and graduating cohort membership was also calculated differently.

2 Members of the graduating class who had taken the SAT as a percentage of the total number of high school graduates. State percentages were calculated by the College Entrance Examination Board based on the number of high school graduates in each state as projected by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). The total percentage for the United States was calculated by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) based on NCES projections of the total number of U.S. high school graduates. The percentage of the 2015-16 graduating class taking the SAT was not calculated because the data for 2015-16 are not comparable to the data for prior years.

3 The SAT is administered to all public high school juniors in Delaware (as of spring 2011), the District of Columbia (as of spring 2013), and Idaho (as of spring 2012).

4 Participation rate is based on self-reported 12th-grade enrollment from the District of Columbia's public and nonpublic schools because WICHE estimated fewer graduating seniors than actual SAT test takers.

5 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 the SAT.

NOTE: Data for 2005-06 and earlier years are for seniors who took the SAT at any time during their high school years through March of their senior year. Data for 2010-11 through 2014-15 are for seniors who took the SAT at any time during their high school years through June of their senior year. Data for 2015-16 are for seniors who took the SAT at any time during their high school years through the January 2016 administration, which was the final administration prior to a major test redesign; because of the smaller number of test administrations and other differences, the 2015-16 data are not comparable to data for earlier years. For all data years, 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 or the Scholastic Aptitude Test.

SOURCE: College Entrance Examination Board, College-Bound Seniors Tables and Related Items, selected years, 1995-96 through 2015-16, retrieved March 6, 2017, from http://research.collegeboard.org/programs/sat/data/cb-seniors-2016. (This table was prepared March 2017.)