How did Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill high schoolers fare with SAT scores in 2020?
North Carolina’s average SAT score dropped in a year where fewer students took the exam and a growing number of colleges and universities are not requiring the test due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The state Department of Public Instruction has posted online the SAT scores for the Class of 2020 for every North Carolina school district and public high school. The average score for North Carolina public school students fell two points this year to 1,089 — 59 points above the national average for public schools.
The national average score also dropped, falling nine points to 1,030. The Class of 2020 faced multiple challenges last spring because of COVID-19, including dealing with SAT test cancellations.
“North Carolina’s 2020 graduates are to be commended for losing little ground in a challenging year and for holding their own against difficult times,” State Superintendent Mark Johnson said in a news release. “These scores tell us that students in the state are graduating well prepared for careers or college.”
Last week, state officials said the high school graduation rate had reached 87.6% — a record high. In the spring, high schools were told to help keep seniors on pace to graduate during the coronavirus pandemic.
Some colleges stop requiring SAT/ACT
The SAT and ACT are the two main college admissions exams taken by high school students. The SAT has slipped in prominence in North Carolina since the state began requiring public high school juniors to take the ACT in 2012.
Among the Class of 2020, 3,544 fewer North Carolina students took the SAT than the year before. The percentage of graduates who took the SAT dropped from 47% in 2019 to 45% in 2020.
The UNC System changed the admissions requirements for students enrolling in the Fall 2020 semester because SAT and ACT tests were canceled and postponed by COVID-19, the News & Observer previously reported. Each individual university could choose to use high school GPA or SAT or ACT scores for admissions.
The UNC System Board of Governors also decided not to require SAT and ACT test scores on students’ applications for the spring, summer and fall 2021 sessions, the News & Observer previously reported. System leaders noted how hundreds of other colleges and universities nationwide have also temporarily waived the requirement for ACT/SAT scores due to the difficulty taking the exams during the pandemic.
The SAT’s redesign
The SAT was overhauled in 2016 with changes that lowered the maximum score to 1,600, eliminated obscure vocabulary words, dropped the penalty for guessing and made the essay optional.
The College Board, which owns the SAT, has cautioned against comparing current scores to tests taken before 2016.
The best scores in NC
The N.C. School of Science and Mathematics, a public boarding school in Durham that attracts academically gifted teens from across the state, had the second-highest score in the state at 1,428. Only the much smaller Early College at Guilford was better, with an average score of 1,433.
Raleigh Charter High School had the next highest score in the Triangle, and the fourth-best statewide, at 1,308.
Triangle-area public high schools accounted for six of the top 10 SAT scores in the state.
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro school system had the highest average score of any district in the state at 1,270. Among other Triangle districts, the average score was 1,153 in Wake County, 1,129 in Orange County, 1,096 in Chatham County, 1,080 in Johnston County and 1,067 in Durham County.
Go to https://bit.ly/2ZiOBkk to SAT scores for this year and previous years.
Triangle SAT scores
Chatham County
▪ Chatham Central High — 1,004
▪ Jordan Matthews High — 1,018
▪ Northwood High — 1,139
Durham County
▪ City Of Medicine Academy — 1,028
▪ JD Clement Early College — 1,126
▪ Durham School Of The Arts — 1,190
▪ Hillside High — 935
▪ Hillside New Tech High — 935
▪ Jordan High — 1,123
▪ Middle College — 1,129
▪ Northern High — 1,005
▪ Riverside High — 1,114
▪ School for Creative Studies — 929
▪ Southern School Of Energy — 920
Johnston County
▪ Clayton High — 1,070
▪ Cleveland High — 1,093
▪ Corinth Holders High — 1,102
▪ Johnston County Early College Academy — 1,085
▪ North Johnston High — 1,059
▪ Princeton High — 1,072
▪ Smithfield-Selma High — 1,042
▪ South Johnston High — 1,053
▪ West Johnston High — 1,093
Orange County
▪ Cedar Ridge High — 1,168
▪ Orange High — 1,097
Chapel Hill-Carrboro
▪ Carrboro High — 1,285
▪ Chapel Hill High — 1,264
▪ East Chapel Hill High — 1,270
Wake County
▪ Apex High — 1,211
▪ Apex Friendship High — 1,190
▪ Athens Drive High — 1,141
▪ Broughton High — 1,146
▪ Cary High — 1,146
▪ Crossroads Flex — 1,127
▪ East Wake High — 1,039
▪ Enloe High — 1,244
▪ Fuquay-Varina High — 1,128
▪ Garner High — 1,045
▪ Green Hope High — 1,257
▪ Heritage High — 1,109
▪ Holly Springs High — 1,147
▪ Knightdale High — 978
▪ Leesville Road High — 1,162
▪ Middle Creek High — 1,160
▪ Millbrook High — 1,138
▪ North Wake College And Career Academy — 1,032
▪ Panther Creek High — 1,246
▪ Rolesville High — 1,015
▪ Sanderson High — 1,123
▪ Southeast Raleigh High — 975
▪ Vernon Malone College And Career Academy — 1,051
▪ Wake STEM Early College — 1,272
▪ Wake Early College Of Health And Sciences — 1,218
▪ Wake Young Men’s Leadership Academy — 1,161
▪ Wake Young Women’s Leadership Academy — 1,147
▪ Wake Forest High — 1,094
▪ Wakefield High — 1,097
Charter Schools
▪ Chatham Charter — 1,106
▪ East Wake Academy — 1,091
▪ Eno River Academy — 1,198
▪ Franklin Academy — 1,200
▪ Longleaf School Of The Arts — 1,098
▪ Neuse Charter — 1,096
▪ Raleigh Charter High — 1,308
▪ Research Triangle High — 1,278
▪ Southern Wake Academy — 1,083
▪ Triangle Math And Science Academy — 1,204
▪ Voyager Academy — 1,099
▪ Woods Charter — 1,261
This story was originally published September 10, 2020 at 11:13 AM.
