Although T.C. Williams SAT scores rose, they remain the lowest among Northern Virginia schools. According to the recent statistics, Alexandria students had a mean score of 976, while Fairfax County students had a mean score of 1,096. Students in Loudoun County had a mean score of 1,049; Prince William students, 10,19 and Fauquier students, 1,046.
Sixty percent of the graduating class of 2002, or 364 students, took the SAT test. The mean verbal score of 485 was seven points higher than the previous year, and the mean math score of 491 was six points higher than the previous year.
“I am very pleased to see that our SAT scores are continuing to rise as the number of students who are taking the test is rising,” said John Porter, the principal at T.C. Williams.
Fifty-nine percent of those in Alexandria who took the SAT test were minority students, compared with 32 percent statewide and 35 percent nationally. The percentage of ESL students who took the test was 15 percent, which was higher than Virginia’s 5 percent and the nation’s 9 percent.
“The more students who take the test, the lower the scores,” said Molly Danforth, a School Board member. “I was pleased to see that our scores are increasing, and I am pleased to see that more minority students are taking the test. We just need to find a way to make sure that these kids are more prepared to take the test.”