Wall Students’ Most Recent SAT Scores Higher Than State Average

WALL, NJ — The Murphy administration issued its annual School Performance Reports for the 2020-21 school year last week, amid concerns about learning loss in the Garden State during COVID-19 and canceled state assessments.

The report includes high school graduation rates, absenteeism, and average SAT scores.

Wall High School had an impressive average — of 1,147 compared to the state average of 1,072. Around 65 percent of students took the test, according to the report. See the state's school performance report here.

During the 2020-21 school year, the statewide average math SAT score was 560, while the Wall High School average was 575. The WHS average reading/writing score was 572, while the statewide average was 557.

Many colleges still use SAT scores, along with extracurricular activities, essays, and other prerequisites, to assess a prospective student's qualifications. Even in the midst of a pandemic, they play an important role for New Jersey seniors who are already considering college options.

But the SAT tests could soon become a thing of the past, according to a report on NBC News. Beginning in 2023, SAT will be administered entirely online as a shorter, more comprehensive test.

Overall, New Jersey saw a 30 percent increase between 2018-19 and 2020-21 in the number of students who missed more than 10 days of school (labeled as 'chronic absenteeism in the report'), totaling over 170,600 students, or 13.1 percent of students in the state. The absenteeism rate was not reported in 2019-20 because of a federal waiver due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Less than half of New Jersey high school seniors took the test in 2020-21, according to the report.

Nicole Rosenthal, Patch Staff, contributed to the reporting.

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