Last month nationwide headlines read, “Class of 2014 SAT scores remain stagnant.” The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is a widely used college admissions test used to determine the probability of success for a student entering college. What the reports failed to mention was the variance between public and faith-based schools.
What IS clear from the test results is that the National Averages for ALL students is bolstered by the scores of students in Faith-based schools. Students from faith-based schools outperformed their public school counterparts by 36 points in Math, 41 points in Reading, a whopping 49 points in Writing.
SAT Scores Class of 2014
Schools | Reading | Writing | Math |
---|---|---|---|
Public Schools | 492 | 478 | 501 |
Faith-Based Schools | 533 | 527 | 537 |
National Average | 497 | 487 | 513 |
Another interesting way to look at the numbers is based upon the variance from the national average. Based upon the national averages, faith-based centers provide a significant boost to public schools in establishing test averages.
Schools | Reading | Writing | Math |
---|---|---|---|
Faith-Based Schools | +36 | +40 | +24 |
National Average | 497 | 487 | 513 |
Public Schools | -5 | -9 | -12 |
What is the real impact of these numbers? When it comes to the SAT, the score of 1550 is “associated with a 65% probability of obtaining a first year GPA of B- or higher at a four-year college.”* Given that information, then it is crystal clear that faith-based schools better prepare students for success in college than do public schools.
Schools | Composite Score | Benchmark | Variance |
---|---|---|---|
Faith-Based Schools | 1597 | 1550 | +47 |
National Average | 1497 | 1550 | -3 |
Public Schools | 1471 | 1550 | -12 |