Roswell SAT Scores Remain Among Highest in Georgia

Students at high schools helped the Fulton County School System return scores on the SAT that are higher than any other Georgia school district, according to results from The College Board.

Those results released today, Sept. 14, show that the Fulton School System has more schools with high SAT performance than any other district in Georgia.

Six Fulton schools are among the top 20 highest scoring schools in the state–including Alpharetta and Milton–and 11 schools reported increased scores from the previous year.

The six Fulton schools–all from North Fulton, with five north of the Chattahoochee River, are:

• Northview High School – 1751 (No. 3)
• Chattahoochee High School – 1694 (No. 6)
• Alpharetta High School – 1679 (No. 8)
• Milton High School – 1659 (No. 12)
• Riverwood International Charter School – 1652 (No. 13)
• Roswell High School – 1645 (No. 14)

While Northview technically ranks third in the state, the two higher-scoring schools had only 7 and 119 students, respectively, taking the test. By comparison, 576 Northview students took the SAT in 2011.

“It’s exciting to see data that validates what we already know – that Fulton County high schools are doing a good job preparing our students,” said Superintendent Robert Avossa, Ed.D.

“Although tests don’t give a complete picture of school success, SAT scores are a way we can measure ourselves against our state and national peers. This information helps us see that our students are doing as well as, if not better than, other students across the country,” Avossa said.

District scores continue to exceed state, nation

Fulton students surpassed their Georgia and national counterparts, on average, in all three sections of the SAT:

Individual schools’ scores increase

Many schools reported increases from the previous year, including four of the five high schools located in South Fulton. In North Fulton, Johns Creek High School, which experienced a jump in students taking the test, posted a 35-point gain while five other schools also reported increases.

Johns Creek High          35 points

Northview High            19 points

Roswell High                 9 points

Chattahoochee High      7 points

Riverwood                    6 points

In addition, (formerly known as TEACH) showed an 81-point increase in its score. The school has a much smaller number of students taking the SAT than most but continues to deliver impressive gains each year.

Participation rates increase

The percentage of students taking the SAT also remains high throughout the school system, with 85 perent of Fulton’s 2011 graduating class taking the test as compared to the Georgia’s 80 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 2011 ACT participation rising to 53 percent.

The test has three sections – critical reading, mathematics and writing – each worth 800 points, for a highest possible score of 2400.