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Digest of Education Statistics
2018 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 226.30. Number, percentage distribution, and SAT mean scores of high school seniors taking the SAT, by high school grade point average, intended college major, and degree-level goal: 2017 and 2018
  2017 2018
High school grade point average, intended college major, and degree-level goal Seniors who had taken the SAT Mean score1 Seniors who had taken the SAT Mean score1
Number
(in thousands)
Percentage distribution Total SAT score Evidence-based reading and writing (ERW) Math Number
(in thousands)
Percentage distribution Total SAT score Evidence-based reading and writing (ERW) Math
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
All students 1,715 100.0 1060 533 527 2,137 100.0 1068 536 531
                     
High school grade point average                    
A+ (97-100) 105 6.1 1254 626 628
A (93-96) 300 17.5 1187 595 592
A- (90-92) 297 17.3 1122 564 558
B (80-89) 711 41.4 1005 508 497
C (70-79) 171 10.0 899 456 444
D, E, or F (below 70) 11 0.6 850 429 421
No response 121 7.1 987 489 498
                     
Intended college major2                    
Agriculture, agriculture operations, and related sciences 17 1.2 1003 508 495 21 1.2 1000 507 493
Architecture and related services 20 1.4 1056 524 531 25 1.4 1062 527 535
Area, ethnic, cultural, and gender studies 2 0.1 1084 561 523 2 0.1 1060 547 513
Biological and biomedical sciences 107 7.3 1132 571 561 136 7.6 1152 579 573
Business, management, marketing, and related support
   services
167 11.4 1072 536 537 205 11.5 1087 542 545
Communication, journalism, and related programs 30 2.1 1071 552 519 35 2.0 1083 557 525
Computer and information sciences and support services 56 3.8 1143 568 575 72 4.0 1164 576 588
Construction trades, general 1 0.1 958 479 479 2 0.1 939 469 470
Education 57 3.9 1032 525 507 68 3.8 1037 527 510
Engineering 156 10.6 1140 560 580 191 10.7 1152 565 587
Engineering technologies/technicians 24 1.7 1047 516 532 31 1.7 1054 518 536
English language and literature/letters 15 1.0 1124 591 533 17 0.9 1132 593 539
Family and consumer sciences/human sciences 4 0.3 969 493 476 5 0.3 966 491 475
Foreign languages and literatures, general 7 0.5 1116 575 541 9 0.5 1116 574 542
Health professions and related clinical sciences 278 18.9 1045 529 516 333 18.7 1055 533 522
History, general 11 0.7 1086 562 524 13 0.7 1091 563 527
Legal studies, general 29 2.0 1084 555 530 35 2.0 1100 562 538
Liberal arts and sciences, general studies, and humanities 8 0.5 1116 575 541 9 0.5 1136 583 553
Library science/librarianship # # 1118 585 533 # # 1111 581 530
Mathematics and statistics 11 0.7 1228 592 636 14 0.8 1253 603 650
Mechanic and repair technologies/technicians 3 0.2 937 466 470 5 0.3 938 468 470
Military technologies 7 0.5 986 498 488 8 0.5 982 496 486
Multi/interdisciplinary studies 2 0.2 1160 586 575 4 0.2 1174 591 584
Natural resources and conservation 8 0.6 1095 558 537 10 0.6 1109 564 545
Parks, recreation, and leisure studies 13 0.9 966 484 482 15 0.8 965 484 481
Personal and culinary services, general 6 0.4 953 485 468 7 0.4 943 480 463
Philosophy and religious studies 3 0.2 1102 566 535 3 0.2 1118 572 545
Physical sciences 21 1.5 1186 591 595 26 1.5 1205 599 606
Precision production # # 975 488 486 # # 962 482 480
Psychology, general 64 4.4 1055 542 513 74 4.2 1066 548 519
Public administration and social service professions 6 0.4 996 511 485 8 0.4 1008 517 491
Security and protective services 55 3.8 973 493 480 66 3.7 978 497 482
Social sciences 27 1.9 1146 588 559 35 2.0 1166 595 571
Theology and religious vocations 2 0.1 1104 568 535 2 0.1 1101 565 536
Transportation and materials moving # # 1025 513 512 1 0.1 1037 519 518
Visual and performing arts, general 106 7.2 1046 537 509 126 7.1 1051 539 512
Other 26 1.8 963 487 476 29 1.6 966 489 477
Undecided 116 7.9 1073 542 531 137 7.7 1087 547 540
                     
Degree-level goal3                    
Certificate program 12 0.9 925 466 460 15 1.0 930 468 462
Associate's degree 21 1.6 900 457 444 25 1.6 906 460 446
Bachelor's degree 362 27.4 1038 524 513 430 27.6 1050 530 520
Master's degree 435 32.9 1104 555 549 508 32.6 1125 564 561
Doctor's or related degree 305 23.1 1138 573 565 363 23.3 1163 584 579
Other 9 0.7 918 458 460 11 0.7 923 462 461
Undecided 176 13.3 1064 537 527 206 13.2 1077 542 535
—Not available.
#Rounds to zero.
1 Possible scores on each SAT section range from 200 to 800, for a total possible score of 400 to 1600.
2 Includes only those test takers who responded to the question about their intended college major.
3 Includes only those test takers who responded to the question about their degree-level goal.
NOTE: The SAT was completely redesigned in 2016. The new SAT was first administered in March of 2016. This table reflects 2017 and 2018 high school graduates who took the new SAT during high school. The data in this table include only test takers from the 2017 and 2018 graduating classes who took the new SAT. These data do not factor in performance on the old SAT, and the data for 2017 set a new baseline for future year-to-year comparisons. If a student took the new SAT more than once, the most recent score on each section is used, along with the student's most recent responses to the SAT questionnaire. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: College Entrance Examination Board, SAT Suite of Assessments Annual Report: Total Group, 2017 and 2018, retrieved December 5, 2018, from https://reports.collegeboard.org/pdf/2018-total-group-sat-suite-assessments-annual-report.pdf. (This table was prepared December 2018.)

2018 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest