Horry County Schools SAT composite surpasses the national average; test takers increase to 57 percent

SAT results released for the senior class of 2020 show that Horry County Schools (HCS) continues to outpace the national average, even with an increase in the percentage of seniors taking the SAT over the previous year’s class.

The District’s composite score, which includes Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (ERW) and Mathematics, is 1033, three points above the national composite score of 1030 and 14 points higher than the state composite score of 1019. In the subtest of Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, HCS students had an average score of 527, which is seven points higher than the national average of 520 and is eight points higher than the state average of 519. In mathematics, HCS students had an average score of 506, which is four points lower than the national average of 510 but seven points higher than the state average of 499.

Newly-released reports for 2020 include the first results of students who took the SAT during their third year of high school as an alternative to the ACT for state and federal accountability measures. Students were required to take one of these two tests as a measurement for college readiness, even if they did not plan to advance to higher education. Both tests were offered at no cost and were administered at school. Traditionally, SAT results reflect the performance of college-bound students who elect to take the test to meet college application requirements. Districtwide, the scores of 1,593 seniors, 57.3 percent of the senior class, were reported in 2020 SAT results, compared to scores of 1,382 seniors in 2019.

Five District schools have 2020 SAT composite scores that surpassed the national SAT composite score. They are The Academy for Arts, Science & Technology: 1168; Aynor High: 1089; North Myrtle Beach High: 1055; Carolina Forest High: 1052; and St. James High: 1044.