ICYMI… In September, College Board released SAT scores for the Class of 2021, and the results for GCPS test-takers are strong! Gwinnett seniors continued to score higher than their peers in Georgia and the nation. Gwinnett’s average on the SAT, a popular college-admissions test, topped state and national averages on both sections (Evidenced-Based Reading and Writing and Math) of the test. Gwinnett’s average score of 1132 was 94 points higher than the national average (1038) and 55 points higher than the state’s average (1077). Averages for GCPS, the state, and the nation all increased, compared to the previous year.
Gwinnett’s average composite score of 1132 is a combination of the average Evidenced-Based Reading and Writing score of 567 and the average Mathematics score of 565. (Possible scores range from 200 to 800 on each section. The highest possible composite score is 1600.) Average SAT scores for 21 GCPS high schools increased.
In Gwinnett, 5,430 students participated in this past year’s test, a decrease from the 8,166 test-takers in the Class of 2020. The decrease in participation was no surprise amid the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in some postsecondary admission requirements.
This year’s SAT results provided positive news in terms of equity and achievement by different student groups. In particular, mean scores for all student groups increased and higher percentages of students in the Class of 2021 met the College and Career Readiness Benchmarks compared to their peers in the Class of 2020. (Both the Math and ERW sections of the SAT have an associated set of College and Career Readiness benchmarks. Students meeting these benchmarks have a 75% chance of earning at least a C in first-semester, credit-bearing college level courses in math, history, literature, social science, or writing.) Across student groups, average composite scores increased by 14 to 35 points, compared to the previous year, and also were higher than pre-pandemic averages for the Class of 2019.
Online, learn more about college and career readiness benchmarks and achievement by student group.