CARROLLTON, GA — Carrollton High School students have yet again topped the national average in SAT performance while also increasing the number of students who took the popular college entrance exam.

Carrollton’s Class of 2022 earned a mean score of 1041, 13 points higher than the national average of 1028. The class had a strong participation rate as well with more than 50 percent of the Class of 2022 taking the exam. 

“We are proud of our student performance on the SAT, but we are equally proud that a large number of our students take this test,” said CHS Principal Ian Lyle. “I am thankful for our teachers and counseling department who stress the importance of college readiness and go above and beyond to make sure our students are prepared for that next step.”

Historically, schools with a high participation rate many times compromise their mean scores because students of all performance levels take the exam. With this in mind, the College Board, the administering organization for the SAT, further calculates past the overall mean score by percentile ranks to further demonstrate a school’s effectiveness.

Three years ago, CHS began offering the option for students to take the test during regular school hours. The school offers this option once in the fall and once in the spring.

“Transportation, extracurricular schedules and other conflicts often limit the number of students able to test outside of school hours,” said Assistant CHS Principal Courtney Walker. “By providing students with an opportunity to take the SAT during the school day, we are able to support more students in their college and career planning, regardless of their personal circumstances.”

Additionally, CHS offers an SAT prep course during school hours where students can work on their test taking skills. 

“Doing everything we can to ensure our students are prepared and know what to expect when it comes time to take the SAT is a top priority at CHS,” said Walker. “Providing them the opportunity to take the SAT prep course is an additional way we work to support their success.”