September 15, 2011 -- SAT scores for college-bound seniors in religious and independent schools this year were significantly higher than the national average in all three subjects tested (critical reading, mathematics, and writing), the College Board reported last month. Average national SAT scores were 497 in reading, 514 in math, and 489 in writing, while comparable scores for students in religious schools were 531, 533, and 528. Students in independent schools scored 541, 579, and 550.
Private school scores also surpassed the SAT “College and Career Readiness Benchmark,” a combined score of 1550 in the three subjects. For all college-bound seniors across the nation, the combined average SAT score was 1500, 50 points shy of the benchmark, while the average for religious school students was 1592 (42 points above the benchmark) and that for independent school students was 1670, exceeding the benchmark by 120 points.
The College Board reported that 43 percent of all students from the class of 2011 who took the SAT met or exceeded the benchmark, which represents “the level of academic preparedness associated with a high likelihood of college success and completion.” The company calls the benchmark “a very reliable tool for measuring the college and career readiness of groups of students.” It was developed after “rigorous research analyzing the SAT scores and college performance of a nationally representative student sample at more than 100 colleges and universities.” The score indicates “a 65 percent likelihood of achieving a B- average or higher during the first year of college, which in turn is indicative of a high likelihood of college success and completion.”
"Students who meet the College Board’s college readiness benchmark are more likely to enroll in, succeed and graduate from college," said College Board President Gaston Caperton. "Ensuring that students are ready to attend and complete college provides them with the competitive advantage they need to successfully compete in the global economy, which is critical to the future of our nation."