HCPSS 2015 SAT and ACT Results - Information Item

Sep 14, 2026

Uploaded by James

Report analyzing the Class of 2015 performance on SAT and ACT within the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS), compared with Maryland and U.S. benchmarks. The HCPSS shows higher participation and achievement on both exams, including an average SAT combined score of 1656 and an ACT composite score of 24.6. SAT College and Career Readiness Benchmark results highlight stronger HCPSS attainment rates. Data are organized by year, region, and SAT sections, with additional breakdowns by student group provided in appendices and a forward-looking next-steps discussion.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Overview

Recommendation / Future Direction

SAT Results

SAT Performance of 2015 Graduates

Average SAT Combined Score (SY2012 to SY2015)

SAT Section Scores (Reading, Mathematics, Writing)

Student Group Disaggregation

BOARD OF EDUCATION OF HOWARD COUNTY MEETING AGENDA ITEM Information Item | TITLE: HCPSS Results of the SAT and ACT Tests for the Graduating Class of 2015 DATE: October 16, 2015
PRESENTER(S):
VISION 2018 GOAL: Students Staff Families and Community Organization | | --- | | OVERVIEW:
This report provides data on the performance of the Class of 2015 on the SAT and ACT tests, for the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS), the state of Maryland, and the nation. The HCPSS continues to outperform the state and nation on the SAT as well as the ACT for the graduating class of 2015. In total, 84.8 percent of the HCPSS Class of 2015 took the SAT, the ACT, or both.
Among graduating HCPSS seniors, 82.3 percent took the SAT. The average SAT combined score for HCPSS graduates in the Class of 2015 was 1656 points—222 points greater than the average for all Maryland public schools ( 1434 points) and 194 points greater than the average for all public schools nationwide (1462 points) .
Of the 2015 HCPSS graduates, 31.8 percent took the ACT. The average ACT composite score in the HCPSS was 24.6 points—3.6 points above the national average (21.0 points) and 1.9 points above the state of Maryland (22.7 points) .
The College Board developed the SAT College and Career Readiness Benchmark to help college and secondary school administrators, educators, and policymakers identify students who are likely to be ready to take college-entry, creditbearing courses in college and not need remediation. The College Board SAT Benchmark score of 1550 is associated with a 65 percent probability of obtaining a first-year GPA of B-or higher at a four-year college. In the U.S. only 41.9 percent of SAT takers in the Class of 2015 met the SAT College and Career Readiness Benchmark of 1550, compared to 63.5 percent in the HCPSS based on the most recent SAT administration. When these data are further broken down by race/ethnicity 16.1 percent of Black/African American U.S. SAT takers in 2015 scored 1550 or higher, compared to 30.8 percent in the HCPSS. Of Hispanic/Latino U.S. SAT takers in 2015, 22.7 percent met the benchmark compared to 43.2 percent in the HCPSS.
Information by school and student group is included in the appendices. | | RECOMMENDATION/FUTURE DIRECTION: | SUBMITTED BY: APPROVAL/ E. Grace Chesney CONCURRENCE: Renee A. Foose, Ed.D. Chief Accountability Officer Superintendent Linda T. Wise Deputy Superintendent This report provides data on the performance of the Class of 2015 on the SAT and ACT tests, for the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS), the state of Maryland, and the nation. The HCPSS continues to outperform the state and the nation on both the SAT and ACT tests. In addition, HCPSS’s graduating Class of 2015’s average SAT combined score (1656) as well as its average ACT composite score (24.6) both exceed the benchmarks for college and career readiness. Information by school and student group is included in the appendices. The report concludes with a discussion of next steps. SAT Results The HCPSS continues to outperform the state and nation on the SAT for the graduating Class of 2015. Among graduating HCPSS seniors, 82.3 percent took the SAT. The average SAT score for HCPSS graduates in the Class of 2015 was 1656 points, 222 points greater than the average for all Maryland public schools ( 1434 points) and 194 points greater than the average for all public schools nationwide (1462 points) (Figure 1) . Figure 1. SAT Performance of 2015 Graduates in HCPSS, Maryland, and the Nation 2400 ~~ ~~ 2100 ~~ ~~ 1800 ~~ ~~ 1500 1656 1434 1462 1462 1490 1200 ~~ ~~ 900 ~~ ~~ 600 ~~ ~~HCPSS MD Public US Public All MD All US Schools Schools Schools Schools Note. All MD Schools and All US Schools include graduates who were enrolled in a public, religiously affiliated, independent, or another school type. The 2015 HCPSS mean SAT combined score of 1656 is 23 points greater

FAQs

What overall SAT and ACT performance does the report highlight for HCPSS in 2015?

HCPSS continues to outperform the state and nation on both SAT and ACT for the graduating class of 2015. It reports higher averages and participation rates, including a mean SAT combined score of 1656 and a mean ACT composite score of 24.6.

How does the HCPSS SAT average compare with Maryland and U.S. public schools?

The average SAT combined score for HCPSS graduates in 2015 is 1656, which is 222 points higher than the average for Maryland public schools (1434) and 194 points higher than the average for U.S. public schools nationwide (1462).

What is the SAT College and Career Readiness Benchmark and how do HCPSS results relate to it?

The report explains the SAT College and Career Readiness Benchmark score of 1550 and the probability of achieving a first-year GPA of B-or higher. It notes that a higher share of HCPSS SAT takers meet the 1550 benchmark compared with U.S. averages, with race/ethnicity breakdowns also shown.

Sep 14, 2026

Uploaded by James