Roswell High School Scores Well on SAT

The College Board this week released results that show the Fulton County School System has more schools with high SAT performance than any other district in Georgia.

Roswell High School ranked in the top 10 in the state, at number eight.

Seven Fulton schools are among the top 20 highest scoring schools in the state, which has 452 schools:

• Northview High School – 1769 (No. 2)
• Johns Creek High School – 1729 (No. 4)
• Milton High School – 1681 (No. 7)
• Roswell High School – 1677 (No. 8)
• Chattahoochee High School – 1674 (No. 9)
• Alpharetta High School – 1660 (No. 10)
• Riverwood International Charter School – 1631 (No. 15)

Centennial High School was number 30 in the state..

Fulton County Schools’ 2012 scores increased an overall 20 points from its 2011 score. Scores also rose seven points in reading, seven points in math, and six points in the writing section, whereas the state and national scores either fell or increased marginally.

“One of our strategic goals is to make sure that students graduate our schools ready for college. Seeing our overall score rise by 20 points shows we’re heading in the right direction,” said Superintendent Robert Avossa. “It’s encouraging to see many of our schools’ scores going up, but just as importantly we need to provide support to those schools whose scores are lagging or not moving along fast enough.”

In 2012, Fulton students surpassed their Georgia counterparts by 34 points in reading, 47 points in math and 47 points in writing, for an overall total of 128 points above the state average. Students also passed their national peers in reading by 26 points, in math by 22 points and in writing by 34 points. Overall, Fulton exceeded the national average by 82 points.

Many schools reported increases from the previous year, including four of the six high schools located in South Fulton. Westlake High School increased its score by 24 points and Langston Hughes rose by 19 points. In North Fulton, Johns Creek High School, which experienced a jump in students taking the test, posted a 134-point gain while four other schools reported double-digit increases:

• Johns Creek High School – 134 points
• Roswell High School – 32 points
• Independence High School – 25 points
• Westlake High School – 24 points 
• Milton High School – 22 points
• Langston Hughes High School – 19 points
• Northview High School – 18 points
• Creekside High School – 9 points
• Tri-Cities High School – 2 points

In addition, five recent graduates earned perfect 2400 scores on the reading, math and writing sections of the exam, and six students earned perfect scores on the reading and math sections.

The percentage of students taking the SAT also remains high throughout the school system, with 88 percent of Fulton’s 2012 graduating class taking the test as compared to the Georgia’s 81 percent participation rate. In recent years, Fulton has seen a trend of students taking both the SAT and the ACT for college entrance, with the 2012 ACT participation rising to 58 percent.

The SAT is a college entrance exam that is developed, administered and scored by The College Board. It is designed to test the subject matter learned by students in high school and the critical thinking skills necessary to succeed in college. The test has three sections – critical reading, mathematics and writing – each worth 800 points, for a highest possible score of 2400.

See the PDF accompanying this article for a breakdown of your school's scores.