Table 226.30.

SAT mean scores and percentage distribution of college-bound seniors, by selected student characteristics: Selected years, 1995-96 through 2015-16

Selected student characteristic	1995-96			2000-01			2005-06				2010-11				2015-161
	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	494	508	482	100
High school rank
Top decile	591	606	22	588	607	24	580	604	577	31	575	606	572	35	575	603	566	35
Second decile	530	539	22	526	540	23	516	537	511	25	510	535	503	27	510	528	496	27
Second quintile	494	496	28	490	497	26	484	498	476	20	482	498	470	18	482	491	465	19
Bottom three quintiles2	—	—	—	—	—	—	443	449	435	23	438	448	426	20	438	442	422	20
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	591	614	585	7
A (93-96)	573	583	14	566	581	17	563	582	559	18	560	583	556	19	558	577	549	20
A- (90-92)	545	554	15	540	552	17	534	552	529	18	528	548	521	19	523	539	511	20
B (80-89)	486	485	49	482	486	47	479	489	471	46	469	480	458	45	462	469	447	44
C (70-79)	432	426	15	428	425	12	426	428	414	11	416	421	401	10	406	408	389	9
D, E, or F (below 70)	414	408	#	403	404	#	406	413	389	#	409	425	398	#	375	390	363	#
High school type
Public	502	506	83	502	510	83	500	514	492	83	494	506	483	84	487	494	472	85
Private, religiously affiliated	525	510	12	530	523	12	531	529	528	11	531	533	528	10	532	537	525	9
Private, independent	547	556	5	549	567	5	544	573	550	5	541	579	550	6	530	579	536	7
Intended college major3
Agriculture, agriculture operations,        and related sciences	491	484	2	487	484	1	481	485	469	1	475	484	461	1	469	472	453	1
Architecture and related services	492	519	3	493	521	2	488	528	485	3	490	534	485	2	483	521	474	1
Area, ethnic, cultural, and gender        studies	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	545	513	531	#	537	502	519	#
Arts: visual/performing	520	497	6	518	501	8	516	502	507	9	508	497	499	8	506	492	490	7
Biological and biomedical sciences	546	545	6	545	549	5	540	554	532	6	540	557	533	6	536	545	524	7
Business management, marketing, and        related support services	483	500	13	489	511	14	486	511	481	15	488	522	484	11	496	519	487	12
Communication, journalism,        and related programs	527	497	4	527	506	4	522	504	520	4	519	502	516	3	516	496	507	2
Computer and information sciences        and support services	497	522	3	501	533	7	503	534	482	4	511	539	485	2	535	563	508	4
Construction trades	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	422	451	399	#	431	453	408	#
Education	487	477	8	483	481	9	480	484	478	8	480	487	476	6	482	480	472	4
Engineering	525	569	8	523	572	9	519	577	506	8	528	584	513	8	528	574	510	11
Engineering technologies/        technicians	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	464	511	447	2	480	525	463	1
English language and literature/        letters	605	545	1	606	549	1	597	541	584	2	584	529	570	1	576	521	557	1
Family and consumer sciences/        human sciences4	458	452	#	459	458	#	462	466	461	#	456	461	452	#	451	453	445	#
Foreign languages, literatures,        and linguistics	556	534	#	557	540	1	572	549	563	1	567	542	557	1	554	528	538	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	485	492	477	19
History	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	542	510	511	1	540	505	508	1
Legal professions and studies	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	512	507	500	3	520	509	504	2
Liberal arts and sciences, general        studies, and humanities	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	552	532	541	1	549	530	537	1
Library science and administration	554	512	#	574	504	#	579	509	542	#	564	505	516	#	572	508	519	#
Mathematics and statistics	552	628	1	549	625	1	539	624	537	1	518	603	519	1	549	621	544	1
Mechanic and repair technologies/        technician	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	421	451	400	#	421	444	401	#
Military technologies and applied        sciences	503	505	#	507	511	#	510	521	487	1	467	471	433	#	475	480	447	#
Multi/interdisciplinary studies	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	582	580	570	#	578	583	566	1
Natural resources and conservation	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	525	524	506	1	526	519	502	1
Parks, recreation, leisure, and        fitness studies	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	444	468	435	1	438	457	427	1
Personal and culinary services	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	457	456	440	#	447	443	426	#
Philosophy and religious studies	560	536	#	561	539	1	557	537	535	1	557	535	530	#	543	525	519	#
Physical sciences	575	595	1	568	588	1	557	589	542	2	553	582	537	1	561	584	540	2
Precision production	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	436	468	422	#	451	462	418	#
Psychology	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	505	494	497	5	502	486	488	5
Public administration and social        services	458	448	3	461	455	2	462	461	454	3	467	459	462	#	473	458	462	#
Security and protective services	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	445	454	432	2	447	449	432	3
Social sciences and history	532	509	11	531	512	10	539	519	525	9	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†
Social sciences	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	573	558	559	2	561	545	544	2
Technical and vocational	435	441	1	444	451	1	437	454	421	1	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†
Theology and religious vocations	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	539	522	513	#	530	511	508	#
Transportation and materials moving	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	465	496	446	#	468	492	448	#
Other	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	453	462	443	2	452	456	438	1
Undecided	500	507	7	515	524	7	512	530	502	3	530	545	522	8	532	541	519	7
Degree-level goal
Certificate program	434	439	1	443	455	1	443	462	435	1	445	464	434	1	427	446	416	1
Associate's degree	422	415	2	419	416	2	416	420	409	1	412	416	400	1	405	407	390	1
Bachelor's degree	476	476	23	478	483	25	477	487	469	25	478	490	467	30	479	487	463	27
Master's degree	514	518	29	516	526	31	512	525	505	30	506	524	499	29	511	524	499	34
Doctor's or related degree	548	552	24	547	554	21	539	553	532	20	534	550	527	21	535	545	523	24
Other	430	438	1	438	449	1	439	456	436	1	425	451	423	1	400	431	397	1
Undecided	502	503	20	511	517	19	515	528	508	22	509	522	499	16	505	516	492	14
Family income
Less than $20,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	434	460	429	13	435	453	426	13
$20,000, but less than $40,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	464	480	454	16	465	477	452	16
$40,000, but less than $60,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	487	499	475	15	488	495	471	14
$60,000, but less than $80,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	502	512	489	14	503	509	485	12
$80,000, but less than $100,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	515	527	503	12	517	527	501	12
$100,000, but less than $140,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	530	539	513	15
$100,000, but less than $120,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	526	539	515	10	—	—	—	—
$120,000, but less than $140,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	530	544	520	5	—	—	—	—
$140,000, but less than $200,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	542	553	528	10
$140,000, but less than $160,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	538	552	529	4	—	—	—	—
$160,000, but less than $200,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	543	557	536	5	—	—	—	—
More than $200,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	568	586	567	7	569	586	562	9
Highest level of parental education
No high school diploma	414	439	4	411	438	4	418	445	418	4	421	449	418	6	418	438	411	7
High school diploma	475	474	35	472	476	32	467	478	460	31	463	476	452	31	460	468	445	28
Associate's degree	489	487	8	489	491	9	484	493	474	8	480	489	466	8	478	482	460	8
Bachelor's degree	525	529	28	525	533	29	522	536	514	30	522	538	514	31	521	535	508	31
Graduate degree	556	558	25	559	567	26	558	571	552	27	559	574	554	25	558	572	547	25

—Not available.

†Not applicable.

#Rounds to zero.

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 Since 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.

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

4 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 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 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 2015-16, retrieved January 31, 2017, from https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/sat/total-group-2016.pdf. (This table was prepared March 2017.)