Student participation increases with district scores beating state and national levels

Fulton County Schools (FCS) increased student participation in taking the SATs for 2023 graduating seniors with a growth of 170 students or 6%. Since the pandemic, participation and academic achievement levels have steadily risen to approach pre-pandemic levels. Additionally, district students outperformed their peers on state and national levels, besting the Georgia average score by 40 points and U.S. score by 82 points.

"We are excited that more students, especially seniors, are participating in taking the SATs and we continue to score well above state and national levels," said FCS Board President Kimberly Dove. "This continued growth in participation is an indication of an increased interest in college readiness assessment."

The number of students taking the SAT increased by approximately 4% to 4,487 in 2023 from 4,317 in 2022. Also, 65% of graduates participated in the SAT, an increase of 6% compared to 2022.

Notably, the Fulton County Board of Education has made it a priority to provide access for seniors to take the SAT test as well as providing dedicated time, on a school day, in which to take the test. The value of providing expanded opportunity to students makes the decline expected and worthwhile.

The 2023 combined score of 1085 is one point below the combined score achieved by students in 2019. The Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) score for 2023 is higher than in 2019, and the math score is lower. This demonstrates that, since the pandemic, math success has shown a slower recovery than that of EBRW.

"Overall, our students have gained back a lot of ground since the pandemic," said Superintendent Dr. Mike Looney. "More than continuing to expand access and reading, we are prepared to focus on strategies for math."