Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) students who graduated in 2014 saw a slight gain in their SAT scores over 2013 graduates, while scores declined statewide and across the nation, according to MCPS.
In a statement, MCPS said that the class of 2014 had a combined average SAT score of 1650, which was two points higher than the previous year. In Maryland, the average combined score dropped by 15 points to 1468 and nationally the scored decreased by 1 point to 1497. Since 2011, the combined scores of MCPS graduates have increased by 13 points.
Twelve of the 25 MCPS high schools saw one-year gains in their average combined scores, with the largest increases at Springbrook (+88 points), Wheaton (+55 points), Montgomery Blair (+41 points), James Hubert Blake (+37 points) and Poolesville (+34 points).
Thirteen schools saw one-year declines, with the largest at Bethesda-Chevy Chase (-49), Gaithersburg (-36), John F. Kennedy (-24) and Clarksburg (-22).
The high schools with the highest overall combined average scores were Walt Whitman (1900), Poolesville (1891), Winston Churchill (1838), Thomas S. Wootton (1836) and Richard Montgomery (1771).
The increased scores among MCPS students this year were led by the improved performance of African American and Hispanic students, whose scores increased by six and 10 points, respectively.
African American students earned an average combined score of 1403 while Hispanic students had a combined score of 1461. White students received a score of 1766.
“We made some progress in narrowing the achievement gap this year, and that is good news,” MCPS Superintendent Joshua Starr said. “However, we must recognize that the gaps are still too large and we have a lot of work to do in order to ensure all students are prepared to thrive in their future.”