Table 145.

SAT mean scores of college-bound seniors, by selected student characteristics: Selected years, 1995-96 through 2008-09

	1995-96			2000-01			2006-07				2007-08				2008-09
	Critical reading score1	Mathe- matics score	Percentage distri-bution	Critical reading score1	Mathe- matics score	Percentage distri-bution	Critical reading score1	Mathe- matics score	Writing score2	Percentage distri-bution	Critical reading score1	Mathe- matics score	Writing score2	Percentage distri-bution	Critical reading score1	Mathe- matics score	Writing score2	Percentage distri-bution
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19
All students	505	508	100	506	514	100	502	515	494	100	502	515	494	100	501	515	493	100
High school rank
Top decile	591	606	22	588	607	24	580	602	575	32	573	598	569	31	576	603	573	33
Second decile	530	539	22	526	540	23	516	534	508	26	511	531	505	27	512	534	505	27
Second quintile	494	496	28	490	497	26	484	497	474	20	481	495	472	20	482	497	471	19
Third quintile	455	448	24	454	452	22	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Fourth quintile	429	418	4	423	417	4	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Fifth quintile	411	401	1	407	401	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Bottom three quintiles3	—	—	—	—	—	—	444	450	434	22	441	447	431	22	441	448	430	20
High school grade point average
A+ (97-100)	617	632	6	609	626	7	604	620	599	7	595	615	592	6	599	621	597	6
A (93-96)	573	583	14	566	581	17	565	581	559	18	559	578	555	18	563	583	559	19
A- (90-92)	545	554	15	540	552	17	534	550	528	18	529	547	523	19	532	551	526	19
B (80-89)	486	485	49	482	486	47	478	486	469	45	474	484	465	47	474	484	464	46
C (70-79)	432	426	15	428	425	12	424	427	411	11	421	423	408	11	420	422	406	11
D, E, or F (below 70)	414	408	#	403	404	#	403	412	388	#	402	411	390	#	399	412	387	#
High school type
Public	502	506	83	502	510	83	498	509	488	84	497	510	488	84	496	510	487	84
Private, religiously affiliated	525	510	12	530	523	12	531	526	527	11	532	531	529	11	533	533	530	11
Private, independent	547	556	5	549	567	5	546	569	548	5	550	574	553	5	550	578	555	6
Intended college major4
Agriculture/natural resources	491	484	2	487	484	1	476	480	463	1	478	481	465	1	478	485	465	1
Architecture/environmental design	492	519	3	493	521	2	492	535	486	3	488	532	483	2	491	534	485	2
Area, ethnic, cultural and gender      studies	†	†	†	†	†	†	547	514	533	#	554	521	541	#	551	515	536	#
Arts: visual/performing	520	497	6	518	501	8	517	503	507	9	516	502	506	8	516	503	506	8
Biological sciences	546	545	6	545	549	5	540	552	531	6	537	551	528	5	541	557	533	6
Business and commerce	483	500	13	489	511	14	485	510	479	15	481	509	477	15	486	516	481	14
Communications	527	497	4	527	506	4	523	501	519	4	522	502	519	4	522	502	518	4
Computer or information sciences	497	522	3	501	533	7	505	533	481	3	502	529	477	3	506	533	481	3
Construction trades	†	†	†	†	†	†	415	447	402	#	424	460	409	#	423	458	404	#
Education	487	477	8	483	481	9	480	483	476	8	478	482	475	7	478	483	475	7
Engineering	525	569	8	523	572	9	524	579	510	8	522	579	508	8	526	582	511	8
Engineering technologies/techniques	†	†	†	†	†	†	451	491	435	1	462	508	447	1	464	511	448	1
Foreign/classical languages	556	534	#	557	540	1	581	549	569	1	576	545	564	1	574	545	563	1
General/interdisciplinary	576	553	#	554	539	#	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†
Health and allied services	500	505	19	494	502	15	487	498	484	19	486	498	483	19	488	501	485	19
History	†	†	†	†	†	†	556	518	528	1	548	515	518	1	548	517	518	1
Home economics5	458	452	#	459	458	#	463	464	458	#	466	467	462	#	467	468	462	#
Language and literature	605	545	1	606	549	1	596	536	581	2	592	533	577	2	589	530	572	2
Legal professions and studies	†	†	†	†	†	†	516	505	504	2	509	505	500	3	510	506	500	3
Liberal arts and sciences, general      studies, and humanities	†	†	†	†	†	†	531	509	516	1	554	532	544	1	553	532	541	1
Library and archival sciences	554	512	#	574	504	#	592	517	544	#	587	517	537	#	576	510	534	#
Mathematics	552	628	1	549	625	1	533	614	529	1	525	609	532	1	528	613	527	1
Mechanic and repair technologies/      technician	†	†	†	†	†	†	423	449	405	#	420	449	403	#	418	447	401	#
Military sciences	503	505	#	507	511	#	517	524	492	#	516	518	486	#	518	520	483	#
Multi/interdisciplinary studies	†	†	†	†	†	†	582	584	570	#	598	586	586	#	604	594	590	#
Natural resources and conservation	†	†	†	†	†	†	499	502	481	#	522	519	503	#	521	521	504	1
Parks, recreation, leisure, and      fitness studies	†	†	†	†	†	†	449	462	437	#	455	478	448	1	452	476	442	1
Personal and culinary services	†	†	†	†	†	†	444	440	432	#	459	459	446	#	460	458	445	#
Philosophy/religion/theology	560	536	#	561	539	1	563	538	541	#	569	548	546	#	567	543	543	#
Physical sciences	575	595	1	568	588	1	560	589	545	2	556	586	539	1	561	592	544	1
Precision production	†	†	†	†	†	†	442	462	409	#	436	462	412	#	441	468	411	#
Psychology	†	†	†	†	†	†	506	488	496	4	503	488	496	5	501	488	494	5
Public affairs and services	458	448	3	461	455	2	497	480	488	1	467	452	461	#	466	451	458	#
Security and protective services	†	†	†	†	†	†	455	457	444	2	451	458	440	2	449	458	438	2
Social sciences and history	532	509	11	531	512	10	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†
Social sciences	†	†	†	†	†	†	569	544	551	3	567	546	551	2	568	550	552	2
Technical and vocational	435	441	1	444	451	1	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†	†
Theology and religious vocations	†	†	†	†	†	†	541	524	521	#	544	525	522	#	542	527	521	#
Transportation and materials moving	†	†	†	†	†	†	476	495	461	#	461	490	445	#	460	486	445	#
Other	†	†	†	†	†	†	443	445	430	#	466	472	456	1	467	474	456	1
Undecided	500	507	7	515	524	7	519	535	508	3	525	540	516	3	532	549	523	4
Degree-level goal
Certificate program	434	439	1	443	455	1	442	461	434	1	438	455	430	1	441	461	432	1
Associate's degree	422	415	2	419	416	2	415	419	407	1	416	419	407	1	415	418	404	1
Bachelor's degree	476	476	23	478	483	25	476	485	467	26	475	485	466	27	476	486	465	26
Master's degree	514	518	29	516	526	31	510	522	502	30	505	519	498	31	507	522	500	31
Doctor's or related degree	548	552	24	547	554	21	540	550	531	20	531	542	524	19	534	548	528	20
Other	430	438	1	438	449	1	436	452	432	1	433	449	430	#	433	452	429	#
Undecided	502	503	20	511	517	19	517	527	508	22	512	523	504	21	516	529	508	20
Family income
Less than $20,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	434	456	430	10	434	457	430	10
$20,000, but less than $40,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	462	473	453	15	462	475	453	15
$40,000, but less than $60,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	488	496	477	16	488	497	476	15
$60,000, but less than $80,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	502	510	490	16	503	512	491	15
$80,000, but less than $100,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	514	525	504	13	517	528	505	13
$100,000, but less than $120,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	522	534	512	11	525	538	516	11
$120,000, but less than $140,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	526	537	517	5	529	542	520	5
$140,000, but less than $160,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	533	546	525	4	536	550	527	4
$160,000, but less than $200,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	535	548	529	4	542	554	535	5
More than $200,000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	554	570	552	6	563	579	560	7
Highest level of parental education
No high school diploma	414	439	4	411	438	4	421	445	418	4	419	441	417	5	420	443	418	5
High school diploma	475	474	35	472	476	32	466	476	457	31	464	474	455	32	464	474	454	31
Associate's degree	489	487	8	489	491	9	484	492	473	9	482	490	471	9	482	491	469	9
Bachelor's degree	525	529	28	525	533	29	522	533	513	30	518	531	510	30	521	535	512	30
Graduate degree	556	558	25	559	567	26	560	569	552	26	553	565	546	25	559	572	552	25

—Not available.

†Not applicable.

#Rounds to zero.

1 Prior to 2006, the critical reading section was known as the verbal section.

2 Writing data are based on students who took the SAT writing section, which was introduced in March 2005.

3 Beginning in 2005-06, the College Board has reported third, fourth, and fifth quintiles as the bottom three quintiles instead of reporting them separately as in previous years.

4 Data may not be comparable over time because of additions to the list of majors and changes in subspecialties within majors.

5 Home economics was changed to Family and consumer sciences/human sciences as of 2006-07.

NOTE: Data are for seniors who took the SAT any time during their high school years through March of their senior year. If a student took a test more than once, the most recent score was used. The SAT was formerly known as the Scholastic Assessment Test and the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Possible scores on each part of the SAT range from 200 to 800. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding and survey item nonresponse.

SOURCE: College Entrance Examination Board, College-Bound Seniors: Total Group Profile [National] Report, selected years, 1995-96 through 2008-09, retrieved August 25, 2009, from http://professionals.collegeboard.com/data-reports-research/sat/cb-seniors-2009. (This table was prepared August 2009.)