Far fewer than half of students planning to attend college meet the basic standards of college readiness, according to a study released today by College Board, an organization perhaps known best for its test offerings.
The study findings are based on the percentage of the more than 1.66 million students in the high school class of 2012 who took the college admissions SAT test and met the SAT College and Career Readiness Benchmark. Students who meet this benchmark are more likely to enroll in four-year colleges, have higher first-year grade point averages, and are more likely to enroll past the first year.
This year, just like last year, only 43% of students met the benchmark score of 1550 out of 2400.
The study also found that the most recent class of test-takers is more diverse than ever, and reflective of new generations of college-bound students. Among the findings:
- 36% of all students reported their parents’ highest level of education as a high school diploma or less.
- 754,922 test-takers, or 45%, were minority students.
- More students than ever took advantage of the SAT Fee Waivers available to low-income students.
- On average, students perform best on the math portion of the exam, and this year averaged 514 points out of 800.
- On average, students earn the lowest grades in creative writing, and this year averaged 488 points out of 800.
- This year, the average score for the entire test for 2012 test-takers was 1498.
- 4% of SAT takers earned between a 2100 and the maximum score of 2400.
- 360 students, or .022%, earned the maximum score of 2400.
Follow Anna Schumann on Twitter at @ASchumannCMN.
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