TOUGH TEST

Kids Get Worst SAT Scores in a Decade

Class of 2015 average down 7 points.

U.S. SAT scores hit their lowest level since the test was last overhauled in 2005, just ahead of the newest incarnation’s debut in 2016. The average score nationwide was a 1490 out of 2400 for the class of 2015, down 7 points from the previous year. The College Board reports the number of students deemed “prepared” for college—as measured by attaining at least 1550 on the SAT—has stagnated at 42 percent, but is down to 16 percent among black students and 23 percent among Hispanics. The fluctuation is due in part to more students than ever taking the test, but advocates also say that math and reading gains early in educational careers frequently aren’t transfering to results in high school.