SAT Participation Trends: Analyzing Student Test-Taking Rates

The SAT, a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States, has undergone numerous changes since its debut in 1926. This article examines the trends in the number of students taking the SAT each year, explores the factors influencing these trends, and analyzes the demographic data related to SAT scores.

Overview of the SAT

The SAT is a computer-based standardized test developed and published by the College Board and administered by the Educational Testing Service. It assesses students' readiness for college by measuring literacy, numeracy, and writing skills. The SAT is typically taken by high school juniors and seniors and is a norm-referenced test, meaning it aims to distribute scores along a bell curve.

The current digital SAT consists of two main sections: reading and writing, and math. Each section is divided into two equal-length modules. The test is scored on a scale of 200 to 800 for each section, with a total score ranging from 400 to 1600.

National SAT Participation and Average Scores

In 2024, over 1.97 million high school students took the SAT, and in 2025, over 2.00 million high school graduates took the SAT. This figure is up from 1.91 million in 2023. The majority of test-takers are juniors and seniors. By comparison, 1.4 million students took the alternative standardized test, the American College Test (ACT), in the same year.

The average total SAT score in 2024 was 1024, the lowest since the test changed formats in 2016. This reflects the scores of students who graduated from high school in 2024. In 2025, average SAT scores were 521 in reading and writing and 508 in math. Although these averages increased slightly from the previous year, they are still substantially lower than average scores prior to the pandemic. For example, average reading and writing and math scores for the class of 2019 were 531 and 528, respectively.

Read also: Enrollment at Notre Dame

SAT School Day Program

The SAT School Day program continues to grow, reaching a record high in 2024 and matching it in 2025. Nearly 1.35 million students in the class of 2024 and 1.36 million students in the class of 2025 took the SAT through this program. SAT School Day allows schools, districts, and states to offer the SAT to juniors and seniors during a weekday, often at no cost to students. In 2024, 68% of SAT takers tested during the school day, the highest percentage to date and the seventh consecutive year of growth for the SAT School Day program. This trend continued into 2025, with 68% of SAT takers participating through the school day program.

Factors Influencing SAT Participation

Several factors influence the number of students taking the SAT each year:

Test-Optional Policies

A growing number of colleges no longer require standardized test scores, including most of the Ivy League schools. This trend gained momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic, as schools closed and concerns arose about students' access to testing. Many colleges adopted test-optional policies, making score submissions optional rather than completely abandoning the practice.

Many colleges-including privates, publics, and state higher ed systems-reinstated their test score requirements this year, showing colleges continue to value the SAT as part of their admissions processes after establishing test-optional policies during the pandemic. Colleges have cited several reasons for reinstating test scores, including the ability to better identify students who will be successful on their campus, reaching more underrepresented and low-income students, and more accurately identifying which students will need extra support.

Digital Testing

In March 2024, the SAT went fully digital and became shorter, lasting two hours instead of the previous three. According to CollegeBoard, over 99% of digital test-takers completed the exam successfully, and most students (84%) and support staff (99%) reported better experiences with the digital SAT compared to the paper version. Now that the full SAT Suite is administered digitally, the entire testing experience is significantly shorter and easier for students and educators.

Value of the SAT

Despite the rise of test-optional policies, the SAT remains a common standard. The growth in test taking reinforces that students and educators in high schools and colleges recognize the value of the SAT as a way to identify students’ knowledge and strengths and connect them to resources and opportunities for colleges, scholarships, and careers. The SAT Suite is a standardized measure of the core reading, writing, and math skills essential for success in college and career.

SAT Scores by State

The percentage of high school students who took the SAT differed significantly by state. For example, in Mississippi and North Dakota, only 1% of students took the SAT. In contrast, 100% of students took the SAT in the District of Columbia, and 99% of students in Rhode Island.

Kansas and Utah had the highest average total SAT scores, with mean scores of 1256 and 1230, respectively. New Mexico and West Virginia had the lowest average total SAT scores, with mean scores of 885 and 919, respectively.

SAT Score Demographics

SAT scores broken down by specific groups reveal trends related to race/ethnicity, gender, first language, parental education, and family income.

Race/Ethnicity

In 2024, Asian students achieved the highest average SAT score of 1228. This was 347 points higher than the average score of American Indian/Alaska Native students, which was 881. The group with the second-highest score was "Two or More Races" with 1090, slightly higher than white students. Black students had the second-lowest average score at 907.

Gender

Men have consistently outscored women in the SAT since 2017, although women have scored higher on the ERW section each year. In 2024, men scored higher than women in total score by 11 points. The scores of people who reported their gender as “Another/No Response” have significantly increased over time, and in 2022, 2023, and 2024, they were the highest scoring group by gender.

First Language

Those who grew up speaking English and another language had the highest total SAT score overall in 2024, with a narrow four-point margin. Those whose first language was not English had the second-highest total score.

Parental Education

The highest level of education that one’s parents received appears to heavily influence how students perform on the SAT. In 2024, students with parents who have graduate degrees achieved the highest total SAT score and section scores, while students with parents without high school diplomas had the lowest total scores.

Family Income

SAT performance also correlates with family income. In 2024, test takers from the lowest quintile of income (less than $55,667) scored the lowest, with a total average SAT score of 887. Test takers from the highest quintile (at least $117,610) received the highest total average score of 1152.

The Debate Over SAT Bias

Whether the SAT is implicitly biased to favor wealthy and white students has long been a subject of debate. A 2023 study found that "Ivy-Plus" colleges were twice as likely to admit students from the highest-income families compared to students from low- or middle-income families, even when they had comparable test scores.

Preparing for the SAT

Many students prepare for the SAT using books, classes, online courses, and tutoring. The College Board also offers a test called the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), and there is some evidence that taking the PSAT at least once can help students do better on the SAT.

The SAT and College Admissions

The SAT is a college admissions test taken by students in high school. The College Board states that the SAT is intended to measure literacy, numeracy and writing skills that are needed for academic success in college. The College Board also claims that the SAT, in combination with high school grade point average (GPA), provides a better indicator of success in college than high school grades alone, as measured by college freshman GPA.

However, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a large number of American colleges and universities decided to make standardized test scores optional for prospective students. Some argue that high school GPA is better than the SAT at predicting college grades, while others maintain that the SAT is a more reliable predictor of collegiate success.

The Perfect SAT Score

The perfect SAT score is 1600, while the lowest possible score is 400. Achieving a perfect score is a feat achieved by only 0.07% of students who take the SAT. While aiming for a high score is beneficial, it's important to set realistic expectations and consider that the SAT is not the only factor that colleges consider during admissions.

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