For the fifth year in a row, Georgia public-school students outperformed their peers across the country on the SAT.
Georgia’s class of 2022 recorded a mean score of 1052, 24 points higher than the 1028 national score but lower compared to the previous year, when Georgia students posted a mean score of 1077.
Habersham Central High School contributed to the state’s success overall with students earning a mean score of 1071, the third highest score in the region.
“The exceptional SAT scores posted by the HCHS Class of 2022 serve as evidence of the students’ intellects, and the quality teaching and learning happening at Habersham Central High School and across our school system,” Principal Jonathan Stripling said. “When compared to the nation, state, and nearby public school systems, it continues to remain clear that the students educated by the Habersham County School System are well prepared and equipped for life after high school.”
Superintendent Matthew Cooper said he was proud of the progress the school has made with its scores.
“Habersham County continues to perform among the best high schools in the region,” Cooper said. “The 2022 average SAT score for our system significantly exceeded both the state and national averages. This kind of performance by our high school students is nothing short of exceptional. The success our students have had on the SAT is something that our entire community can be very proud of.
“I commend our students, parents, teachers, and administrators for this fantastic accomplishment on the 2022 SAT.”
The Georgia group also scored higher in the component portions of the test, with a mean score of 536 on the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing portion and 516 in math. Habersham’s scores were 545 on Evidence-Based Reading and Writing portion and 526 on the math portion.
The high marks came despite the disruptions of the coronavirus pandemic, which caused many schools to close and switch to online instruction.
“That’s a testament to the hard work of students and teachers,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said.
“While students and school have faced significant challenges over the last several years, as a state we will continue to invest in academic recovery and the opportunities available to every graduate of every Georgia public school.”
In the 13-county Pioneer Regional Education Service Agency, Habersham County Schools ranked third behind Lumpkin County and Rabun County, which had a mean scores of 1092 and 1074, respectively.
Participation in the SAT among the Georgia class of 2022 increased sharply compared to 2021, when the impacts of the pandemic, the cancellation of some test registrations, and the closure of some test centers in 2020 caused fewer students in the graduating class to take the test.
Just more than half of the 2022 class took the SAT, up from 38 percent in 2021.
In Habersham Central’s 2022 class, 187 students took the SAT.
Georgia high school students haven’t been as incentivized to take the test as in past years.
Citing the effects of the pandemic on learning, the University System of Georgia waived SAT and ACT test requirements at most of the system’s 26 institutions during the last school year and is doing so again this year.
Samantha Sinclair of the CNI News Service contributed to this report.