Sarasota County students’ 2012 SAT scores top national, state results

    SARASOTA COUNTY — Students in Sarasota County’s public high schools outperformed their peers in the U.S. and in other Florida districts, on average, in the 2012 SAT Reasoning Test. Local averages were higher than national and state averages in all three sections of the SAT: mathematics, critical reading and writing skills.

     Nationwide results for the class of 2012 were announced this week by the College Board, the not-for-profit organization that administers the voluntary tests, which are the most widely taken standardized college admissions test in the U.S. Historically, the data have included students who took the SAT at any point in high school through March of their senior year.             

     According to the College Board, the number of SAT takers nationwide was more than 1.6 million in 2012. The Florida Department of Education reports that 112,057 students across the state took the SAT this year. In Sarasota County public high schools, 1,087 seniors took the SATs, similar to last year’s total of 1,103.

Other details of the SAT results include the following:

• Sarasota County average scores are 30 and 29 points higher than state averages in critical reading and mathematics, respectively, and 25 points higher in writing.

• Compared to the nation, average scores for the district are 26 points higher than the national average in reading, seven points higher in math and 13 points higher in writing.

• The average SAT scores increased in reading, mathematics, and writing at the state and local level. National averages declined slightly in reading and writing, while remaining constant in mathematics.