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Digest of Education Statistics
2000 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest

Table 135. Scholastic Assessment Test score averages, by selected student characteristics: 1995-96, 1997-98, and 1999-2000
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                        |        1995-96           |        1997-98           |        1999-2000
        Selected characteristics        |__________________________|__________________________|__________________________
                                        |       |Mathe- |Percentage|       |Mathe- |Percentage|       |Mathe- |Percentage
                                        |Verbal |matical| distri-  |Verbal |matical| distri-  |Verbal |matical| distri-
                                        | score | score |bution\1\ | score | score |bution\1\ | score | score |bution\1\
________________________________________|_______|_______|__________|_______|_______|__________|_______|_______|__________
                   1                    |   2   |   3   |    4     |   5   |   6   |    7     |   8   |   9   |    10
________________________________________|_______|_______|__________|_______|_______|__________|_______|_______|__________
  All students .........................|   505 |   508 |      100 |   505 |   512 |      100 |   505 |   514 |      100
                                        |_______|_______|__________|_______|_______|__________|_______|_______|__________
High school rank                        |       |       |          |       |       |          |       |       |
   Top decile ..........................|   591 |   606 |       22 |   590 |   607 |       21 |   589 |   608 |       22
   Second decile .......................|   530 |   539 |       22 |   530 |   543 |       22 |   528 |   543 |       23
   Second quintile .....................|   494 |   496 |       28 |   494 |   500 |       28 |   493 |   500 |       27
   Third quintile ......................|   455 |   448 |       24 |   454 |   453 |       24 |   455 |   453 |       23
   Fourth quintile .....................|   429 |   418 |        4 |   427 |   421 |        4 |   425 |   419 |        4
   Fifth quintile ......................|   411 |   401 |        1 |   408 |   403 |        1 |   408 |   401 |        1
                                        |       |       |          |       |       |          |       |       |
High school grade point average         |       |       |          |       |       |          |       |       |
   A+ (97-100)..........................|   617 |   632 |        6 |   613 |   629 |        7 |   610 |   628 |        7
   A  (93-96)...........................|   573 |   583 |       14 |   569 |   582 |       15 |   567 |   582 |       16
   A- (90-92)...........................|   545 |   554 |       15 |   542 |   554 |       16 |   540 |   553 |       17
   B  (80-89)...........................|   486 |   485 |       49 |   483 |   487 |       48 |   482 |   486 |       47
   C  (70-79)...........................|   432 |   426 |       15 |   430 |   428 |       13 |   428 |   426 |       12
   D, E, or F (below 70) ...............|   414 |   408 |    (\2\) |   408 |   411 |    (\2\) |   405 |   406 |    (\2\)
                                        |       |       |          |       |       |          |       |       |
Intended college major                  |       |       |          |       |       |          |       |       |
   Agriculture/natural resources........|   491 |   484 |        2 |   491 |   487 |        2 |   490 |   486 |        1
   Architecture/environmental design....|   492 |   519 |        3 |   494 |   524 |        2 |   494 |   524 |        2
   Arts: visual/performing..............|   520 |   497 |        6 |   520 |   502 |        7 |   518 |   502 |        8
   Biological sciences..................|   546 |   545 |        6 |   545 |   546 |        6 |   544 |   548 |        5
   Business and commerce................|   483 |   500 |       13 |   484 |   505 |       14 |   487 |   510 |       14
   Communications.......................|   527 |   497 |        4 |   523 |   501 |        4 |   526 |   505 |        4
   Computer or information sciences.....|   497 |   522 |        3 |   500 |   529 |        5 |   499 |   533 |        6
   Education............................|   487 |   477 |        8 |   483 |   480 |        9 |   483 |   481 |        9
   Engineering..........................|   525 |   569 |        8 |   525 |   571 |        9 |   523 |   573 |        8
   Foreign/classical languages..........|   556 |   534 |    (\2\) |   552 |   538 |        1 |   558 |   539 |        1
   General/interdisciplinary............|   576 |   553 |    (\2\) |   568 |   549 |    (\2\) |   562 |   545 |    (\2\)
   Health and allied services...........|   500 |   505 |       19 |   497 |   505 |       18 |   497 |   505 |       16
   Home economics.......................|   458 |   452 |    (\2\) |   458 |   459 |    (\2\) |   462 |   462 |    (\2\)
   Language and literature..............|   605 |   545 |        1 |   605 |   549 |        1 |   608 |   552 |        1
   Library and archival sciences........|   554 |   512 |    (\2\) |   547 |   525 |    (\2\) |   556 |   511 |    (\2\)
   Mathematics..........................|   552 |   628 |        1 |   552 |   629 |        1 |   551 |   630 |        1
   Military sciences....................|   503 |   505 |    (\2\) |   504 |   507 |    (\2\) |   505 |   512 |    (\2\)
   Philosophy/religion/theology.........|   560 |   536 |    (\2\) |   558 |   538 |        1 |   560 |   539 |        1
   Physical sciences....................|   575 |   595 |        1 |   571 |   592 |        1 |   569 |   592 |        1
   Public affairs and services..........|   458 |   448 |        3 |   459 |   453 |        3 |   459 |   454 |        3
   Social sciences and history..........|   532 |   509 |       11 |   531 |   512 |       11 |   532 |   513 |       11
   Technical and vocational.............|   435 |   441 |        1 |   440 |   448 |        1 |   442 |   452 |        1
   Undecided............................|   500 |   507 |        7 |   510 |   520 |        6 |   512 |   521 |        7
                                        |       |       |          |       |       |          |       |       |
Degree-level goal                       |       |       |          |       |       |          |       |       |
   Certificate program..................|   434 |   439 |        1 |   436 |   447 |        1 |   439 |   453 |        1
   Associate degree.....................|   422 |   415 |        2 |   421 |   419 |        2 |   420 |   419 |        2
   Bachelor's degree....................|   476 |   476 |       23 |   475 |   480 |       23 |   478 |   483 |       25
   Master's degree......................|   514 |   518 |       29 |   513 |   523 |       31 |   515 |   526 |       31
   Doctoral or related degree...........|   548 |   552 |       24 |   548 |   554 |       23 |   547 |   554 |       22
   Other................................|   430 |   438 |        1 |   435 |   446 |        1 |   442 |   454 |        1
   Undecided............................|   502 |   503 |       20 |   505 |   510 |       19 |   508 |   514 |       19
                                        |       |       |          |       |       |          |       |       |
Family income                           |       |       |          |       |       |          |       |       |
   Less than $10,000....................|   429 |   444 |        4 |   427 |   446 |        5 |   425 |   447 |        4
   $10,000 to $20,000...................|   456 |   464 |        8 |   451 |   463 |        9 |   447 |   460 |        8
   $20,000, but less than $30,000.......|   482 |   482 |       10 |   477 |   482 |       11 |   471 |   478 |       10
   $30,000, but less than $40,000.......|   497 |   495 |       12 |   495 |   497 |       13 |   490 |   493 |       12
   $40,000, but less than $50,000.......|   509 |   507 |       10 |   506 |   509 |       11 |   503 |   505 |       10
   $50,000, but less than $60,000.......|   517 |   517 |        9 |   514 |   518 |       11 |   511 |   515 |       11
   $60,000, but less than $70,000.......|   524 |   525 |        7 |   521 |   525 |        9 |   517 |   522 |        9
   $70,000, but less than $80,000.......|   531 |   533 |        6 |   527 |   532 |        8 |   524 |   530 |        8
   $80,000 to $100,000..................|   541 |   544 |        7 |   539 |   546 |        9 |   536 |   543 |       10
   More than $100,000...................|   560 |   569 |        9 |   559 |   572 |       13 |   558 |   571 |       16
                                        |       |       |          |       |       |          |       |       |
Highest level of parental education     |       |       |          |       |       |          |       |       |
   No high school diploma...............|   414 |   439 |        4 |   411 |   441 |        4 |   413 |   442 |        4
   High school diploma..................|   475 |   474 |       31 |   473 |   477 |       34 |   472 |   477 |       33
   Associate degree.....................|   489 |   487 |        7 |   489 |   491 |        8 |   488 |   491 |        9
   Bachelor's degree....................|   525 |   529 |       25 |   525 |   532 |       28 |   525 |   533 |       29
   Graduate degree......................|   556 |   558 |       23 |   556 |   563 |       25 |   558 |   566 |       25
________________________________________|_______|_______|__________|_______|_______|__________|_______|_______|__________

\1\Because of survey item nonresponse, percentage distributions may not add to 100 percent.
\2\Less than 0.5 percent.

NOTE: Scholastic Assessment Test was formerly known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Possible scores on each part of the SAT range from 200 to 800.

SOURCE: College Entrance Examination Board, National Report on College Bound Seniors, various years. (Copyright @ 2000 by the College Entrance Examination Board. All rights reserved). (This table was prepared September 2000).


2000 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest