SAT scores at Montgomery County Public Schools last year averaged 1094, the third highest in school system history.
The highest was 1096, set in 1999. The school system also set a record for the number of students tested, 7,172.
SATs are standardized tests used by many colleges during the admissions process. The highest score possible is 1600, which several students achieve each year.
The average for the State of Maryland was 1024. The National average was 1026
Potomac-area high schools averaged even higher than the county as a whole. The average for Whitman was 1248, Churchill 1200 and Wootton 1180.
“We have a lot of good kids who work hard,” said Jerome Marco, principal of Whitman, explaining his school’s performance.
Whitman’s scores are up for the second consecutive year and are among the highest in the county. “That’s right where we ought to be,” Marco said. “A little progress every year is great.”
Poverty continued to have a negative effect on student performance. Students living in poverty, defined as those who have participated in the County’s Free And Reduced Meals-Services (FARMS) program had lower average scores with a countywide average of 937.
Among Potomac schools, Whitman saw the most dramatic drop with its students who had participated in FARMS averaging 1036. Students at Wootton who had participated in the FARMS program averaged 1109, at Churchill 1115.
Students whose first language is not English (ESOL) also scored lower than the average, although higher than the students in FARMS programs. The countywide ESOL average was 962.
Students enrolled in ESOL at Wootton averaged 1144, at Churchill 1130 and at Whitman 1097.
Countywide average scores for African-American students increased by 11 points to 917. This increase reverses a trend of declining scores.
While Potomac’s African American students scored higher than the county average, their scores were lower than those of other ethnic groups. Average scores African-American students at Wootton were 1015, Churchill were 981 and Whitman were 934.