Table 153.

SAT mean scores of college-bound seniors, by selected student characteristics: Selected years, 1995-96 through 2009-10

Selected student characteristic	1995-96			2000-01			2005-06				2008-09				2009-10
	Critical reading score1	Mathe- matics score	Percentage distri-bution	Critical reading score1	Mathe- matics score	Percentage distri-bution	Critical reading score1	Mathe- matics score	Writing score2	Percentage distri-bution	Critical reading score1	Mathe- matics score	Writing score2	Percentage distri-bution	Critical reading score1	Mathe- matics score	Writing score2	Percentage 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	501	515	493	100	501	516	492	100
High school rank
Top decile	591	606	22	588	607	24	580	604	577	31	576	603	573	33	578	606	575	34
Second decile	530	539	22	526	540	23	516	537	511	25	512	534	505	27	514	535	505	27
Second quintile	494	496	28	490	497	26	484	498	476	20	482	497	471	19	484	499	472	19
Third quintile	455	448	24	454	452	22	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Fourth quintile	429	418	4	423	417	4	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Fifth quintile	411	401	1	407	401	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Bottom three quintiles3	—	—	—	—	—	—	443	449	435	23	441	448	430	20	441	450	429	20
High school grade point average
A+ (97-100)	617	632	6	609	626	7	602	621	599	7	599	621	597	6	599	621	596	6
A (93-96)	573	583	14	566	581	17	563	582	559	18	563	583	559	19	563	584	558	19
A- (90-92)	545	554	15	540	552	17	534	552	529	18	532	551	526	19	531	550	525	19
B (80-89)	486	485	49	482	486	47	479	489	471	46	474	484	464	46	473	483	462	45
C (70-79)	432	426	15	428	425	12	426	428	414	11	420	422	406	11	418	424	405	10
D, E, or F (below 70)	414	408	#	403	404	#	406	413	389	#	399	412	387	#	411	422	399	#
High school type
Public	502	506	83	502	510	83	500	514	492	83	496	510	487	84	498	511	488	84
Private, religiously affiliated	525	510	12	530	523	12	531	529	528	11	533	533	530	11	533	534	530	11
Private, independent	547	556	5	549	567	5	544	573	550	5	550	578	555	6	557	583	560	6
Intended college major4
Agriculture and related sciences	491	484	2	487	484	1	481	485	469	1	478	485	465	1	476	485	464	1
Architecture/environmental design	492	519	3	493	521	2	488	528	485	3	491	534	485	2	492	536	487	2
Area, ethnic, cultural and gender     studies	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	551	515	536	#	555	523	540	#
Arts: visual/performing	520	497	6	518	501	8	516	502	507	9	516	503	506	8	513	501	503	8
Biological sciences	546	545	6	545	549	5	540	554	532	6	541	557	533	6	544	560	536	6
Business and commerce	483	500	13	489	511	14	486	511	481	15	486	516	481	14	490	523	487	12
Communications and journalism	527	497	4	527	506	4	522	504	520	4	522	502	518	4	524	506	520	3
Computer or information sciences	497	522	3	501	533	7	503	534	482	4	506	533	481	3	510	539	486	2
Construction trades	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	423	458	404	#	416	452	398	#
Education	487	477	8	483	481	9	480	484	478	8	478	483	475	7	481	486	477	6
Engineering	525	569	8	523	572	9	519	577	506	8	526	582	511	8	531	587	516	8
Engineering technologies/     technicians	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	464	511	448	1	463	509	446	2
English language and literature/     letters	605	545	1	606	549	1	597	541	584	2	589	530	572	2	587	532	572	2
Family and consumer sciences/     human sciences5	458	452	#	459	458	#	462	466	461	#	467	468	462	#	459	465	455	#
Foreign languages, literatures,     and linguistics	556	534	#	557	540	1	572	549	563	1	574	545	563	1	572	545	562	1
General/interdisciplinary	576	553	#	554	539	#	542	532	532	#	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†
Health and allied services	500	505	19	494	502	15	485	498	483	18	488	501	485	19	489	503	485	18
History	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	548	517	518	1	545	516	516	1
Legal professions and studies	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	510	506	500	3	511	506	499	3
Liberal arts and sciences, general     studies, and humanities	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	553	532	541	1	559	539	549	1
Library and archival sciences	554	512	#	574	504	#	579	509	542	#	576	510	534	#	558	505	519	#
Mathematics	552	628	1	549	625	1	539	624	537	1	528	613	527	1	522	606	522	1
Mechanic and repair technologies/     technician	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	418	447	401	#	419	452	402	#
Military sciences	503	505	#	507	511	#	510	521	487	1	518	520	483	#	501	504	469	#
Multi/interdisciplinary studies	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	604	594	590	#	605	598	592	#
Natural resources and conservation	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	521	521	504	1	528	528	510	1
Parks, recreation, leisure, and     fitness studies	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	452	476	442	1	448	474	439	1
Personal and culinary services	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	460	458	445	#	457	460	443	#
Philosophy/religious studies	560	536	#	561	539	1	557	537	535	1	567	543	543	#	563	540	540	#
Physical sciences	575	595	1	568	588	1	557	589	542	2	561	592	544	1	558	588	540	1
Precision production	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	441	468	411	#	436	464	417	#
Psychology	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	501	488	494	5	505	492	496	5
Public affairs and services	458	448	3	461	455	2	462	461	454	3	466	451	458	#	469	459	462	#
Security and protective services	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	449	458	438	2	448	459	438	2
Social sciences and history	532	509	11	531	512	10	539	519	525	9	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†
Social sciences	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	568	550	552	2	574	558	559	2
Technical and vocational	435	441	1	444	451	1	437	454	421	1	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†
Theology and religious vocations	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	542	527	521	#	539	524	515	#
Transportation and materials moving	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	460	486	445	#	464	496	451	#
Other	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	467	474	456	1	456	465	447	2
Undecided	500	507	7	515	524	7	512	530	502	3	532	549	523	4	532	548	524	7
Degree-level goal
Certificate program	434	439	1	443	455	1	443	462	435	1	441	461	432	1	442	463	432	1
Associate's degree	422	415	2	419	416	2	416	420	409	1	415	418	404	1	414	421	405	1
Bachelor's degree	476	476	23	478	483	25	477	487	469	25	476	486	465	26	477	488	466	28
Master's degree	514	518	29	516	526	31	512	525	505	30	507	522	500	31	509	524	501	30
Doctor's or related degree	548	552	24	547	554	21	539	553	532	20	534	548	528	20	537	551	529	21
Other	430	438	1	438	449	1	439	456	436	1	433	452	429	#	431	452	427	1
Undecided	502	503	20	511	517	19	515	528	508	22	516	529	508	20	516	529	507	18
Family income
Less than $20,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	434	457	430	10	437	460	432	11
$20,000, but less than $40,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	462	475	453	15	465	479	455	16
$40,000, but less than $60,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	488	497	476	15	490	500	478	15
$60,000, but less than $80,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	503	512	491	15	504	514	492	14
$80,000, but less than $100,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	517	528	505	13	518	529	505	12
$100,000, but less than $120,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	525	538	516	11	528	541	518	10
$120,000, but less than $140,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	529	542	520	5	533	546	523	5
$140,000, but less than $160,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	536	550	527	4	540	554	531	4
$160,000, but less than $200,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	542	554	535	5	547	561	540	5
More than $200,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	563	579	560	7	568	586	567	7
Highest level of parental education
No high school diploma	414	439	4	411	438	4	418	445	418	4	420	443	418	5	422	446	419	5
High school diploma	475	474	35	472	476	32	467	478	460	31	464	474	454	31	464	475	453	31
Associate's degree	489	487	8	489	491	9	484	493	474	8	482	491	469	9	482	491	469	9
Bachelor's degree	525	529	28	525	533	29	522	536	514	30	521	535	512	30	521	536	512	30
Graduate degree	556	558	25	559	567	26	558	571	552	27	559	572	552	25	561	575	554	26

—Not available.

†Not applicable.

#Rounds to zero.

1 Prior to 2006, the critical reading section was known as the verbal section.

2 Writing data are based on students who took the SAT writing section, which was introduced in March 2005.

3 Beginning in 2005-06, the College Board has reported third, fourth, and fifth quintiles as the bottom three quintiles instead of reporting them separately as in previous years.

4 Data may not be comparable over time because of additions to the list of majors and changes in subspecialties within majors.

5 Prior to 2006-07, family and consumer sciences/human sciences was called home economics.

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. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding and survey item nonresponse.

SOURCE: College Entrance Examination Board, College-Bound Seniors: Total Group Profile [National] Report, selected years, 1995-96 through 2009-10, retrieved September 14, 2010, from http://professionals.collegeboard.com/data-reports-research/sat/cb-seniors-2010. (This table was prepared September 2010.)