Media Center
September 01, 2006
Kershaw County SAT average composite score 7th best in the state
9.01.2006
Kershaw County SAT average composite score 7th best in the state; four points higher than the national average
Kershaw County seniors posted the 7th-highest average composite SAT score in the state and topped the national composite average for the 5th time in six years in 2006 SAT scores released this morning.
This was the first year that the College Board reported scores for its revised version of the test including a new writing section. The composite score reflects the combined math and critical reading (formerly called verbal) score that has been reported over the years.
Kershaw County students outscored students in all Midlands and surrounding districts except for Lexington I and Lexington/Richland 5. Although Kershaw County’s 2006 average composite score of 1025 dropped five points from 2005, it is 40 points above the state’s average and four points higher than the US average.
The state average composite dropped eight points from 993 to 985 and the nation dropped seven points from 1028 to 1021.
“We’re pleased to see that Kershaw County students continue to outscore students nationally,” said Kershaw County School District Superintendent Herbert Berg. “I’m proud of the hard work by our teachers and students to move our state ranking up from 12th to 7th.”
Kershaw County was one of only ten school districts in the state to have an average composite score higher than the national average composite.
Two of the district’s three high schools posted composite scores above the national average. North Central High School topped the national average for the fourth year with a 2006 composite score of 1076, an increase of ten points from 2005. Camden High School maintained its status of having a score above the national average for the past seven years with a 2006 score of 1044.
Lugoff-Elgin High School’s 2006 average composite score of 1008—although below the national average—is 23 points higher than the state average.
The number of Kershaw County students taking the SAT held relatively steady in 2006, with one less student tested than in 2005. The 2006 scores reflect the efforts of 216 students as compared to 217 in 2005, 195 in 2004, 203 in 2003 and 200 in 2002.
Scoring on the three sections – math, critical reading and writing – ranges from 200 to 800 points, so that a perfect score is now 2400 instead of 1600.
Kershaw County’s 2006 average verbal score of 507 was six points lower than the 2005 verbal score of 513. Local seniors’ 2006 math score of 518 was one point higher than last year’s math average of 517.
In its first year of reporting, Kershaw County seniors’ average writing score of 498 was 18 points higher than the state’s average score of 480 and one point above the national average of 497.
«
Back to News List