States with the highest SAT scores

LStockStudio // Shutterstock The source of dread for nearly 2 million high schoolers every year, the SAT, or Scholastic Assessment Test, is an almost four-hour juggernaut designed to test a student’s abilities in reading, math, and writing abilities. Grade point average, extracurricular activities, and supplemental essays are all important factors in a college application; however, the SAT provides a way to compare students nationwide, no matter how grades are weighted or how many clubs exist at individual high schools. The SAT has its fair share of naysayers. Many experts point out that high SAT scores are only loosely correlated with success in college, which is better predicted by high school grades. Higher SAT scores are strongly associated with higher family income, likely due, at least in part, to the fact that families with higher incomes can afford expensive tutors and exam preparation courses. To counteract the criticism, the College Board, which administers the SAT, made sweeping changes to the test in 2016, no longer requiring students to memorize archaic vocabulary and getting rid of the point penalty for guessing. Nonetheless, even high-profile schools are increasingly dropping the SAT from application requirements. The list has become rather significant both in its breadth and the types of schools on it, among them all the Ivy Leagues, nearly all the Public Ivys, and several top-tier state universities such as the University of Illinois at Chicago and Notre Dame. Stacker referenced College Board data reported by PrepScholar to rank the states with the highest performance on the SAT, drawing on results from the class of 2022. Each state’s average composite score is included along with the average scores in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and Math, as well as the participation rate, which indicates how many students in the state took the test. Certain places mandate high schoolers to take the test, leading to higher participation rates but lower scores overall; only states where at least 20% of students took the SAT were included. Read on to see where your state stacks up in mastering the SAT. #30. West Virginia Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Average total score: 938 — Math: 456 — EBRW: 481 – Number of test-takers: 15,265 (84% of students) #28. Delaware (tie) Real Window Creative // Shutterstock – Average total score: 968 — Math: 477 — EBRW: 449 – Number of test-takers: 10,232 (95% of students) #28. Idaho (tie) Charles Knowles // Shutterstock – Average total score: 968 — Math: 488 — EBRW: 499 – Number of test-takers: 20,965 (97% of students) #27. Rhode Island George Wirt // Shutterstock – Average total score: 971 — Math: 477 — EBRW: 494 – Number of test-takers: 10,667 (93% of students) #26. New Mexico Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Average total score: 976 — Math: 480 — EBRW: 496 – Number of test-takers: 8,875 (42% of students) #25. Illinois Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Average total score: 981 — Math: 485 — EBRW: 495 – Number of test-takers: 144,216 (97% of students) #24. Florida Mia2you // Shutterstock – Average total score: 983 — Math: 473 — EBRW: 510 – Number of test-takers: 190,427 (87% of students) #23. Washington, D.C. f11photo // Shutterstock – Average total score: 985 — Math: 484 — EBRW: 502 – Number of test-takers: 4,651 (100% of students) #22. Michigan Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Average total score: 1000 — Math: 495 — EBRW: 506 – Number of test-takers: 90,642 (84% of students) #21. Texas Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Average total score: 1001 — Math: 495 — EBRW: 506 – Number of test-takers: 243,410 (64% of students) #20. Colorado Canva – Average total score: 1021 — Math: 503 — EBRW: 551 – Number of test-takers: 52,906 (84% of students) #19. Connecticut Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Average total score: 1025 — Math: 505 — EBRW: 520 – Number of test-takers: 38,903 (89% of students) #18. Massachusetts Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Average total score: 1029 — Math: 561 — EBRW: 567 – Number of test-takers: 43,576 (55% of students) #17. South Carolina f11photo // Shutterstock – Average total score: 1030 — Math: 504 — EBRW: 526 – Number of test-takers: 27,111 (51% of students) #16. New Hampshire Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Average total score: 1050 — Math: 521 — EBRW: 530 – Number of test-takers: 12,562 (81% of students) #15. Georgia Canva – Average total score: 1060 — Math: 520 — EBRW: 541 – Number of test-takers: 64,884 (54% of students) #14. New York Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock – Average total score: 1067 — Math: 533 — EBRW: 534 – Number of test-takers: 122,170 (59% of students) #13. Indiana Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Average total score: 1073 — Math: 533 — EBRW: 540 – Number of test-takers: 37,425 (48% of students) #12. Maryland Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Average total score: 1075 — Math: 529 — EBRW: 546 – Number of test-takers: 39,083 (54% of students) #11. New Jersey Mihai_Andritoiu // Shutterstock – Average total score: 1079 — Math: 537 — EBRW: 543 – Number of test-takers: 72,338 (63% of students) #10. Maine Joseph Sohm // Shutterstock – Average total score: 1081 — Math: 532 — EBRW: 549 – Number of test-takers: 6,203 (43% of students) #9. Pennsylvania ESB Professional // Shutterstock – Average total score: 1091 — Math: 540 — EBRW: 551 – Number of test-takers: 70,065 (48% of students) #8. Vermont Albert Pego // Shutterstock – Average total score: 1095 — Math: 537 — EBRW: 558 – Number of test-takers: 3,077 (48% of students) #7. Washington Agnieszka Gaul // Shutterstock – Average total score: 1096 — Math: 542 — EBRW: 554 – Number of test-takers: 24,333 (32% of students) #6. Alaska Canva – Average total score: 1110 — Math: 545 — EBRW: 565 – Number of test-takers: 2,131 (26% of students) #5. California Marek Masik // Shutterstock – Average total score: 1115 — Math: 555 — EBRW: 560 – Number of test-takers: 102,028 (21% of students) #3. Hawaii (tie) Canva – Average total score: 1124 — Math: 558 — EBRW: 566 – Number of test-takers: 4,702 (31% of students) #3. Virginia (tie) Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Average total score: 1124 — Math: 552 — EBRW: 572 – Number of test-takers: 46,594 (48% of students) #2. North Carolina Sharkshock // Shutterstock – Average total score: 1136 — Math: 562 — EBRW: 573 – Number of test-takers: 28,656 (27% of students) #1. Oregon Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Average total score: 1143 — Math: 567 — EBRW: 580 – Number of test-takers: 9,340 (22% of students) Data reporting by Sam Larson.