While navigating the digital SAT transition in 2024, the national average score fell to a near-two-decade low of 1028, revealing a complex story of shifting participation, stubborn achievement gaps, and evolving definitions of college readiness.
Key Takeaways
- In the class of 2023, the national average SAT score for all test-takers was 1028 out of 1600, with Math at 511 and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (ERW) at 516
- For the class of 2022, the mean total SAT score across all U.S. students was 1050, broken down to 529 in Math and 521 in ERW
- In 2021, the average SAT score for college-bound seniors reached 1060, with sectional averages of 528 Math and 533 ERW amid pandemic disruptions
- 2023 national average for Asian students on SAT was 1228 total, significantly above overall 1028
- In 2023, Black/African American SAT test-takers averaged 907 total score, Math 454, ERW 454
- Hispanic/Latino students' 2023 national SAT average was 967, with Math 489 and ERW 478
- In 2023, California state average SAT score was 1051 total for public school students
- New York 2023 SAT average: 1062, with high participation due to mandates
- Texas 2023 state SAT mean: 1003 total, Math 505, ERW 499
- From 2015 to 2023, national SAT average declined 59 points from 1110 to 1028 for ERW+Math
- Math SAT scores dropped 3 points nationally from 2022 (514) to 2023 (511)
- ERW SAT average fell 5 points from 2022's 521 to 516 in 2023
- 75th percentile national SAT score in 2023 was 1210 total
- To meet college readiness benchmark (Math 530, ERW 480), 43% of 2023 test-takers qualified
- 2023 national 90th percentile SAT total score was 1340 out of 1600
National SAT scores have declined over the years, recently averaging around 1028.
Demographic Breakdowns
- 2023 national average for Asian students on SAT was 1228 total, significantly above overall 1028
- In 2023, Black/African American SAT test-takers averaged 907 total score, Math 454, ERW 454
- Hispanic/Latino students' 2023 national SAT average was 967, with Math 489 and ERW 478
- White students averaged 1098 on 2023 SAT, Math 547, ERW 551
- 2023 SAT average for males was 1037 total, Math 529 vs females' 1001 total and 494 Math
- Females in 2023 averaged 1017 ERW on SAT, higher than males' 1003
- Asian female 2023 SAT average: 1187 total, Math 569, ERW 618
- In 2022, Native American SAT average was 891 total, lowest among major demographics
- 2022 Two or More Races SAT mean: 1091 total, Math 545, ERW 546
- Pacific Islander 2022 SAT average: 926 total
- 2021 No Response ethnicity group averaged 1012 on SAT total
- Male Math gap widened in 2023: +35 points over females nationally
- 2019 Black students SAT average 933 vs White 1110, gap of 177 points
- Asian Math average 2023: 624, highest demographic sectional score
- 2023 female ERW advantage: +14 points over males nationally
- Low-income (first-gen) 2023 SAT average: 917 total
- High-income students 2023 SAT mean: 1209
- 2022 Hispanic female SAT: 954 total, Math 482, ERW 472
- White male 2022 SAT average: 1121
- 2018 Asian students 1223 SAT total average
- Gender gap in Math 2017: Males 531 vs Females 495
- 2016 pre-redesign Black average 857/2400
- Historical verbal gender gap closed by 2015 to females +4 points
- 2005 Asian SAT math average 581/800
- Native Hawaiian 2023 SAT: 963 total average
Demographic Breakdowns Interpretation
While the SAT reveals a persistent, maddening hierarchy of advantage—where race and wealth predict scores like a cruel astrology—it also shows that closing one gap, like gender in English, only highlights how stubbornly others, like race and class, refuse to budge.
Historical Trends
- From 2015 to 2023, national SAT average declined 59 points from 1110 to 1028 for ERW+Math
- Math SAT scores dropped 3 points nationally from 2022 (514) to 2023 (511)
- ERW SAT average fell 5 points from 2022's 521 to 516 in 2023
- Post-2016 redesign, SAT totals averaged 1050-1070 until 2020 pandemic dip
- 1972-1980 SAT verbal scores declined 10 points nationally amid education concerns
- SAT math scores rose steadily from 428 in 1972 to 501 in 1994, then stabilized
- Overall SAT scores peaked at 1025/1600 in 1966, declined to 900s by 1980
- Participation in SAT grew from 1 million in 2000 to 2.2 million peak in 2019
- Digital SAT rollout 2024 showed initial average 40 points higher than paper, adjusted basis
- From 2006-2016 out of 2400, SAT averages declined from 1521 to 1500
- Gender math gap narrowed from 37 points in 1972 to 28 in 2019
- Asian SAT score share of top decile rose from 4% in 1996 to 25% in 2023
- National participation rate for SAT fell from 52% in 2019 to 42% in 2023
- SAT essay discontinued 2021 after averages showed 2020 mean 13/24 total
- Pre-1995 verbal scores averaged 424-428, post-recenter 1996 jumped to 505
- 2020 pandemic year SAT average rose to 1051 despite fewer high achievers testing
- Long-term trend 1966-2023: SAT Math up 20 points overall, Verbal/ERW down 50
- State mandates increased participation 20% from 2015-2020, scores dropped 10-20 pts
- Top 1% SAT scorers (1550+) doubled from 2010 to 2020 due to test prep boom
- 2023 saw largest one-year SAT score drop in decades: -22 points total
Historical Trends Interpretation
It seems the national academic temperature is running a low-grade fever, as the SAT's fifty-year chart shows a stubbornly rising math line against a worryingly sinking verbal one, proving we're collectively getting better at calculating the tip while forgetting how to describe the meal.
National Averages
- In the class of 2023, the national average SAT score for all test-takers was 1028 out of 1600, with Math at 511 and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (ERW) at 516
- For the class of 2022, the mean total SAT score across all U.S. students was 1050, broken down to 529 in Math and 521 in ERW
- In 2021, the average SAT score for college-bound seniors reached 1060, with sectional averages of 528 Math and 533 ERW amid pandemic disruptions
- The 2020 national average SAT total score was 1051, featuring 523 in Math and 528 in ERW for over 2.2 million test-takers
- Class of 2019 saw a national SAT mean of 1059 total, with Math at 528 and ERW at 531 from 2.2 million participants
- In 2018, average SAT scores totaled 1068 for all test-takers, Math 531 and ERW 536
- 2017 national average SAT score was 1060, with 530 Math and 533 ERW averages
- Pre-redesign 2016 SAT average for seniors was 1500 out of 2400, with Critical Reading 494, Math 510, Writing 496
- 2015 class average SAT score was 1490/2400, Reading 495, Math 511, Writing 484
- National mean SAT score in 2014 was 1497, with 497 Reading, 513 Math, 487 Writing
- 2013 average SAT total was 1498, sectional: 496 CR, 514 M, 488 W
- In 2012, U.S. average SAT score totaled 1495, 499 Reading, 514 Math, 488 Writing
- 2011 national SAT average: 1494 total, Reading 497, Math 514, Writing 489
- Class of 2010 averaged 1501 on SAT, 501 CR, 516 M, 489 W
- 2009 SAT national mean was 1511/2400, 501 Reading, 515 Math, 493 Writing
- In 2008, average total SAT score was 1511, with 502 CR, 515 M, 494 W
- 2007 national SAT average: 1511 total, 503 Reading, 515 Math, 493 Writing
- 2006 class averaged 1518 on SAT I+II, 504 CR, 518 M, 494 W
- 2024 preliminary national SAT average for class of 2024 is estimated at 1026 total
- Digital SAT in 2024 first cohort averaged 1059 total for public school students nationally
- Among 2023 SAT test-takers, national Math average rose to 511 from previous years
- ERW national average dipped to 516 in 2023 from 520 in 2020
- Total SAT participants in 2023: 1.9 million with mean 1028
- Pre-2005 SAT out of 1600 averaged around 1026 in 2004 for seniors
- 1995 national SAT average was 428 verbal and 482 math out of 800 each, total 910
- 1980s average SAT verbal score nationally hovered at 430, math 468
- Post-WWII 1950s SAT averages were 476 verbal, 494 math for college-bound
- 1970 national mean SAT: 453 verbal, 466 math
- Peak SAT scores in 1960s averaged 543 verbal for top groups nationally
National Averages Interpretation
After a stubborn but mediocre plateau on the old 2400-point scale, the 2016 redesign and subsequent pandemic disruptions appear to have finally nudged the national SAT average into a gentle, decade-long slide, settling it back near where it was in the mid-2000s.
Performance Benchmarks
- 75th percentile national SAT score in 2023 was 1210 total
- To meet college readiness benchmark (Math 530, ERW 480), 43% of 2023 test-takers qualified
- 2023 national 90th percentile SAT total score was 1340 out of 1600
- Median SAT score (50th percentile) in 2023 stood at 990 total nationally
- 10th percentile SAT score 2023: 790 total, indicating bottom decile performance
- Benchmark met rate for Math in 2023: 41%, up from 34% in 2022
- ERW benchmark (480+) achieved by 55% of 2023 SAT takers
- Perfect SAT score (1600) earned by 0.03% or 503 students in 2023 cohort
- 2022 99th percentile SAT threshold: 1520-1600 total
- National 25th percentile 2023 SAT: 910 total score
- College Reportable score (valid for admissions) achieved by 85% of 2023 test-takers
- 2023 Math 75th percentile: 600, ERW 650 nationally
- PSAT/NMSQT selection index benchmark 2023: 1300+ SAT equivalent for top 1%
- 43% of 2023 test-takers met both Math and ERW benchmarks simultaneously
- 2023 average score for benchmark non-met in Math: 430
- Top 10% SAT cutoff 2023: 1370 total nationally
- 2019 benchmark met rate: 45% total, peaked pre-pandemic
- SAT Math 800 perfect: 0.4% of test-takers in 2023
- ERW 700+ scores represented 15% of 2023 national distribution
- 2023 standard deviation for total SAT scores: 218 points nationally
- Bottom 25% SAT 2023: under 910, correlated with lower college success rates
- 95th percentile SAT 2023: 1450 total, Ivy League consideration threshold
- SAT to ACT concordance: 1400 SAT ≈ 31 ACT composite benchmark equivalent
Performance Benchmarks Interpretation
Despite a modest post-pandemic recovery in math performance leaving the "average" American test-taker shy of a four-digit score, the national SAT landscape reveals a sobering academic triage where nearly half of students fail the college-ready baseline, yet a fiercely competitive apex still thrives with the top 10% vaulting beyond 1370 and the coveted 99th percentile preserving its elite aura above 1520.
State Variations
- In 2023, California state average SAT score was 1051 total for public school students
- New York 2023 SAT average: 1062, with high participation due to mandates
- Texas 2023 state SAT mean: 1003 total, Math 505, ERW 499
- Florida 2023 SAT average 1038, boosted by universal testing policy
- Massachusetts highest 2023 SAT average at 1106 total
- Illinois 2023 SAT state average: 983
- Michigan 2023 average SAT 1077 for participants, low participation rate
- Colorado 2023 SAT mean 1012 total
- Virginia 2023 SAT average 1113, top 5 nationally
- Connecticut 2023 state SAT: 1075 average
- Washington DC 2023 SAT average 1021 despite high funding
- West Virginia lowest 2023 SAT average at 897 total
- Idaho 2023 SAT mean 990
- Utah 2023 average SAT 1151, highest participation adjusted
- Ohio 2023 SAT state average 1048
- Pennsylvania 2023 SAT mean 1079
- New Jersey 2023 highest at 1124 SAT average
- Maryland 2023 SAT 1083 average
- Georgia 2023 SAT state mean 1056
- North Carolina 2023 average 1100 SAT total
- Oklahoma 2023 SAT 974 average
- Oregon 2023 SAT mean 1088
- South Dakota 2023 SAT average 1210 for participants, very low n
- Wyoming 2023 SAT state average 1085
- Minnesota 2023 SAT 1045 mean, ACT dominant state
State Variations Interpretation
It seems our national academic portrait is a mosaic where brilliant brushstrokes like Virginia and New Jersey are juxtaposed with concerningly sparse palettes like South Dakota's perfect but tiny sample and West Virginia's overall struggle, proving that raw scores without participation context are as misleading as judging a library by its most borrowed book.
Sources & References
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- Reference 5BLOGblog.prepscholar.comVisit source
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- Reference 7INSIDEHIGHEREDinsidehighered.comVisit source
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- Reference 9BUSINESSINSIDERbusinessinsider.comVisit source
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- Reference 11COLLEGETRANSITIONScollegetransitions.comVisit source
- Reference 12BLOGblog.collegeboard.orgVisit source