Baltimore County Overall SAT Scores Up, Participation Down

Baltimore County mean SAT scores improved compared to last year, but the number of students taking the standardized test overall decreased. That's part of a continued downward trend in students taking the test. In 2011 60.1 percent of students took the exam. 

The mean combined countywide SAT score improved to 1,499 in 2013 compared to 1,476 in 2012. In 2012 students posted a 17-point increase in scores over the year before, according to a news release.

“We are proud of the hard work and preparation that went into these scores, both from our students and from our teachers,” Superintendent Dr. S. Dallas Dance said in the release.

But the total number of students taking the test, which many colleges use to help determine if they’ll admit a student, fell from 57.5 percent last year to 55 percent in 2013.

Performance on AP exams, tests students can earn college credits for passing, also slightly improved from the year before. The percent of students who passed the test inched up from 67.1 percent to 67.5 percent.

The county also reported that 17 of 24 high schools improved their mean scores on the SATs.  

Schools with combined SAT scores higher than 1600: 

• Dulaney High School: 1676
• Towson High School: 1656
• George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology: 1656
• Eastern Technical High: 1624

Increased SAT scores and participation:

• George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology
• Loch Raven Academy
• Millford Mill Academy
• Pikesville High School
• Sparrows Point High School