For the seventh consecutive year, Georgia’s public-school students have scored above the national average on the SAT, according to data released by the Georgia Department of Education.
The 2024 graduating class from Georgia’s public schools achieved an average score of 1030, outpacing the national average for public-school students, which was 995. In the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (ERW) section, Georgia students averaged 527, and in the math section, they posted a mean score of 503. Nationally, students averaged 507 and 488 in the same sections, respectively.
State School Superintendent Richard Woods praised the efforts of students, teachers, and families, noting that these results reflect Georgia’s commitment to academic progress and recovery post-pandemic. “I am so proud of the class of 2024 and their teachers, parents, families, and the communities who supported them. We continue to see Georgia students outpacing the national average on the SAT and ACT and that’s a testament to the work we’ve done in Georgia to invest in our students’ academic recovery post-pandemic and create opportunities in our public schools that prepare every child for life,” he said.
Despite this ongoing success, the average score for Georgia students saw a decline from 2023, when the mean score was 1045 but the national average also fell, dropping from 1003 in 2023.
One factor contributing to the slight decrease in scores could be the increased participation rate in Georgia. This year, 52% of the state’s public-school seniors took the SAT at some point during high school, up from 50% the previous year. It’s common for performance averages to decline slightly when more students participate in testing.
