Arlington Students Kick Butt on the SATs

The SAT scores of Arlington Public School students rose significantly this year, with the biggest gains experienced among minority students. While Arlington students gained, the average SAT scores on a state and national level remained flat.

On a scale from 200 to 800 points, Arlington seniors scored an average of 555 points on the reading portion of the exam, up 14 points from a year prior and 54 points above the national average. Scores on the writing exam were up 17 points to 538, 46 points above the national average. The average of 564 points scored on the math exam was up 16 points from last year and was 48 points above the national average.

Every ethnic group performed better in every category this year. Asian students posted double digit gains in all three categories. Hispanic and Black students posted double digit gains in two categories. White students posted single digit gains in all three categories. There was no significant difference in gains by gender.

“While we monitor many other performance measures, I am pleased to see that our students increasingly outpace their peers across the state and the nation on the SATs,” said Arlington Public Schools superintendent Dr. Pat Murphy. “While state and national averages remain relatively flat, our 2010 seniors experienced double-digit increases in reading, writing and mathematics. I congratulate our students for these impressive results.”

“I am also pleased to see these increases in performance among students of all ethnic and racial groups,” Dr. Murphy continued. “This indicates that students from diverse backgrounds are taking the important steps necessary to prepare themselves for future academic pursuits.”

Arlington’s cumulative average is four points higher than Montgomery County public schools and seven points higher than Fairfax County schools. Scores in Fairfax, the region’s largest school system, were flat compared to last year, according to the Washington Post.

APS students also outperformed their state and national peers on the ACT college entrance exams.