Fulton County students’ scores on the SAT exam increased but participation rates dropped during a pandemic year.
Fulton County Schools reported that students in the class of 2021 scored about 50 points higher on the college-entrance test than those students who graduated the year before. The district’s mean score in 2021 was 1128.
A perfect SAT score is a 1600 and combines scores on a math section plus a reading and writing section.
“These scores show that even in a pandemic we will not distract from the hard work and dedication of our students,” said Gyimah Whitaker, deputy chief academic officer, during a recent Fulton school board meeting.
The total number of Fulton test-takers dropped by about 30% in 2021, with 3,573 students taking the exam. District officials said COVID-19 affected the participation rate. Many colleges and universities waived requirements to submit a test score as part of a student’s application.
Statewide, the class of 2021 also exceeded the scores from the previous year. The state’s public-school students had a mean score of 1077, according to the Georgia Department of Education.
2021 mean SAT scores for metro Atlanta districts
Atlanta: 927
Cobb: 1150
Clayton: 946
DeKalb: 1037
Fulton: 1128
Gwinnett: 1132
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