Fayette’s 2022 SAT scores outpace state, nation

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McIntosh High had the 15th highest average in Georgia — 

Fayette County’s public high school students again greatly outpaced the rest of Georgia and the country as a whole on the 2022 SAT, according to results released by the College Board.

Fayette County Public Schools students posted a mean score of 1132, beating the state mean by 80 points and the nation’s score by 104 points. The mean is the sum of all scores added together and divided by the number of scores, and is what most people understand as the “average.”

Fayette has the second highest mean score in the state and metro Atlanta when compared to systems with more than 1,000 test takers.

In a comparative breakdown of the mean score, Fayette had an evidence-based reading and writing (ERW) mean of 571; the state posted a 536 mean and the nation a 521 mean.

In math, Fayette had a mean of 561 compared to the state’s mean of 516 and the nation’s mean of 507.

Out of the 393 Georgia High Schools with 2022 SAT scores, all five Fayette high schools ranked in the top 33 percent in state.

McIntosh High had 15th highest mean score in the state at 1183 (ERW 591, math 592); Starr’s Mill High came in 21st with a mean of 1151 (ERW 574, math 577); Whitewater High came in 32nd with a mean of 1122 (ERW 574, math 548); Sandy Creek High came in 62nd with a mean of 1080 (ERW 551, math 529); and Fayette County High came in 85th with a mean of 1049 (ERW 537, math 512).

Sandy Creek’s mean score went up 14 points from 2021, and Fayette County High’s mean went up 7 points.

9 COMMENTS

    • Demographics are a thing. That and GA always has a High Percentage of strident a that take the SAT…I’d be interested to see how McINTOSH compares to the top scores in other states…you obviously have a handle on the numbers.

      • Good point. I notice that all of the states higher than GA are to our west. Mid-western and western colleges tend to rely on the ACT more than the SAT. Therefore, the students from these states taking the SAT may be more limited to students who wish to attend college out of state. This would certainly place them at a higher SES because of higher out-of-state tuition costs.

        Like everything else in life, the answer could be complicated.

        • There are many institutions that require neither the SAT or ACT. NYU, Cornell, George Washington, Pitzer, Hampshire College, Montana State, Colorado, Ithaca, Smith, Connecticut and U of Chicago. Then, there are always the “legacy” students who are admitted to prestigious schools because their parents were graduates and contribute handsome endowments. Or, as in the blatant, lie, cheat and bribe scandal at USC a few years back, dullards hoped for a coveted spot as a result of their parents massive fraud endeavors. As you say, it is complicated.

          Honestly, these days it probably doesn’t matter what school you graduate from. Even in the years past, it was not that pivotal. My Father graduated at the top of his class from an Ivy League U. His career path was no different from any other talented electrical/aerospace engineer. My brother-in-law received his Masters from Wharton, but ended up heading up a Small Business Educational Department at an obscure private college . Great test scores are worthy of temporary boast and celebration, but time produces the revealing conclusions.

      • Minnesota’s average was 1263 and scores declined in the order previously referenced with TN, KY and MO rounding out the group with a Statewide average of 1219/1220. The average GA SAT score was 1052. In my opinion, standardized test scores are less important than GPA’s when predicting a students probability of graduating from college. This year, more than 2/3 of colleges and universities are not requiring the SAT for admission, including high profile Universities as Harvard, Stanford and the University of CA system. I was rubbish on the math portion of the exam but rocked the writing and critical reading portions. Curiously, after graduating from a 4 year University, I went on to a very successful career with a money center bank. But, that being said, congratulations to all the achievers! We are proud of you.

  1. This is wonderful news!

    Congratulations to our erudite students and the skilled teachers who devote their professional energies to education. I’m sure the parents deserve praise as well for motivating their children to read and learn.

    It is so very rewarding to live in a county that values academics and encourages development of intellectual skills.