Wisconsin's 2010 high school graduates performed far above the national average on the SAT college admissions exam, according to a report by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
Graduates who took the SAT on average scored 595 on critical reading, 604 on math, and 579 for the writing section. The scores by section ranged from 87 to 94 points above the national average.
Students of color represented nearly 17 percent of the 3,002 graduates who took the SAT. The non-white population of the state is 10.6 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The results show a significant gap in the scores based on family income. Higher-income students tested 75 points higher on average than those from low-income families.
The 2010 class also had a higher participation rate in Advanced Placement exams, according to the report. About 68.9 percent of those scored between a three and five, 11 percentage points higher than the national average.
—Ariel Shapiro
