Cherokee Ranks 5th in SAT Scores Across Georgia

(Photo credit: Patch file)

The Cherokee County School District continues to rank in the top five school districts in Georgia for average SAT scores, based on data released Tuesday by the Georgia Department of Education and the College Board.

The district’s class of 2014 earned an average total score of 1,563, which is the fifth-highest score out of 180 school systems in the state of Georgia, the school district said in its press release.

Individual scores for each of the county’s six traditional high schools — Cherokee, Creekview, Etowah, River Ridge, Sequoyah and Woodstock — are all provided in the .PDF document below.

Graduates in the class of 2014 beat the national average by 66 points and the state average by 118 points on the curriculum-based, college entrance and placement exam, which is the most commonly recognized measure of achievement for high school students.

All district high schools scored above the national and state average on the test, which measures critical reading, mathematics and writing abilities that are related to successful academic performance in college.

While the district’s average total score decreased slightly — by a quarter of 1 percent from 1567, the number of students taking the SAT increased by more than 3 percent over the previous school year, with 1,492 students in the class of 2014 participating. The national and state averages also saw similar small declines.

Fluctuation in scores is anticipated every year, as different groups of students are being tested; but Cherokee County’s results continue to show consistent, exceptional performance when compared at the national and state levels, the district said in its press release.

Individual school scores will be reviewed by district principals with their leadership and data management teams to review instruction and curriculum, analyze intervention strategies and determine new SAT goals. Counselors also will be involved in this evaluation process to ensure each student is taking the appropriate courses, practice tests and college entrance and placement examinations to achieve the greatest successes.

“In recent years, the Cherokee County School District has endured significant financial challenges, and while the priority when setting budgets has been to cause the least impact on teaching and learning, state funding cuts of more than $190 million and dramatic drops in local property values take their toll,” said Superintendent Dr. Frank Petruzielo. “Students in the class of 2014 have spent their high school and middle school career in overcrowded classes, a situation that we hope to improve next school year as long as the state legislature continues to reduce the remaining $17.6 million in “state austerity budget cuts” and the local tax digest’s recovery progresses. This year’s reductions in state educational funding cuts allowed for the decrease in class size across all elementary school grades, which we know already is improving teaching and learning.”

Petruzielo went on to say the ability to exceed state and national averages can only be achieved ”with the strong support of the entire community — students, parents, grandparents, teachers, administrators, business partners, volunteers — and a school board that always puts providing a high-quality public education to every child first.”