Fulton SAT Holds Steady, Continues To Outpace State And Nation

FULTON COUNTY, GA — According to results released today by The College Board, the Fulton County School System continued to outperform the state and nation on the SAT with seven schools increasing their scores over the prior year. The overall average score in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) and Math decreased slightly by 5 points, to 1086, down from 1091 in 2018. Performance on college and career readiness benchmarks for 2019 was essentially level with 2018.

“While Fulton’s academic progress continues to shine above the state and nation, there is work to be done to ensure our academic growth is reflected across all schools,” said district Superintendent Mike Looney.

The seven schools in the district that showed increased results include: Cambridge HS (+1); Independence HS (+39); Milton HS (+5); Northview HS (+15); Riverwood International Charter HS (+19); Roswell (+7), and Westlake HS (+7). Independence, Northview and Riverwood had notable increases of 10 or more points. Click here for scores for each school.

Fulton saw an increase in the number of students taking the SAT in 2019. The total number of test takers in Fulton was 5,430 in 2019, compared to 5,411 in 2018. The percent of graduates participating in the SAT dipped from 78.7 percent in 2018 to 77.1 percent in 2019.

This marks the third year of the re-designed SAT, which Fulton County students took for the first time in 2016-17. The new test has two sections (Evidence-Based Reading/Writing and Math) whereas the previous SAT had three sections (Critical Reading, Writing and Math). Both the new and old SAT have an optional essay.

With the redesign, scoring for the test also changed. The old SAT had an overall score of 2400, while the new SAT has an overall score of 1600.

About the SAT

The SAT is a college entrance exam that is developed, administered and scored by The College Board. It is designed to test the subject matter learned by students in high school and the critical thinking skills necessary to succeed in college. The test has two sections – critical reading/writing and mathematics – both worth 800 points, for a highest possible score of 1600.

In Fulton County, PSAT testing occurs for students in grades 9, 10 and 11 to help strengthen their academic preparation and to identify personal strengths and weaknesses before they take the test. Free SAT prep classes are also offered online through The College Board.