- In 2024, the average SAT score was 1024. The 50th percentile was 1010.
- 1,973,891 graduating high school seniors in 2024 took the SAT.
- The mean score for the Evidence-Based Reading section was 519 and the mean score for the Mathematics section was 505.
- SAT scores vary between different demographic groups and college acceptance histories.
How do you stack up to the nation’s average SAT Score? For 2024 graduates, the average SAT score was 1024, or a 519 in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (ERW) and a 505 in Math.
This number only gives you some insight, however, into how you performed. Even if you’re above average, is your SAT score high enough to get into your dream school? Below, we break down what your SAT score means, the average results among different groups, and what this number means for your acceptance chances.
What Is the Average SAT Score?
For the 1,973,891 high school students who graduated in 2024 and sat for the SAT, the average, or mean, SAT score was 1024 with a 519 in ERW and 505 in Math according to the 2024 SAT Suite Annual Report by College Board.
However, this only gives us a small glimpse into how the nation performed as a whole. The College Board provides percentiles so students can see how they compared to others, but also breaks down the data further into gender, test-taking history, race/ethnicity, and more.
This number only gives you some insight, however, into how you performed. Even if you’re above average, is your SAT score high enough to get into your dream school? Below, we break down what your SAT score means, the average results among different groups, and what this number means for your acceptance chances.
Median SAT Scores – National “Average” SAT Scores
The College Board also publishes median SAT scores, which can give us insight into percentiles. What this means is that a student can find their SAT score on the chart and it will tell them both what percentage of students they scored higher than (their percentile ranking) as well as an approximation of what percentage of all students scored within their range (by subtracting the percentile).
SAT Percentiles for 2024
The highest possible score on the SAT is a 1600. According to the 2024 Total Group SAT Suite of Assessments Annual Report, the percentiles for 2024 were:
| 75th Percentile | 50th Percentile | 25th Percentile | |
| Total | 1190 | 1010 | 840 |
| Reading and Writing | 600 | 510 | 500 |
| Math | 590 | 500 | 400 |
If you scored 1010 on the SAT, that means you did 50% better than other students. If you earned a 1190, you scored higher than 75% of others taking the exam. Seeing how you stack up against other students can help you set goals for future tests.
What Does Your SAT Score Mean and Why Does It Matter?
It’s natural to want to know how your SAT score compares to those of your peers. After all, many students end up applying to competitive and selective schools, where your score may mean the difference between being accepted and being denied.
The College Board also publishes a distribution of the SAT scores from all students. So, in a broader sense, students can at least get a general idea of how their score compares to all other students who sat for the exam.
However, your score doesn’t matter so much in comparison to all other students, but perhaps the most relevant question to ask is how does yours stack up against other students who are admitted to the colleges that you’re planning to apply to?
Colleges and universities around the country do publish this kind of information. Generally, they report the 25th and 75th percentile SAT scores of all students who are admitted in a given year.
So, while these aren’t “minimum” SAT score requirements (very few colleges have published minimums), they do give you an idea of what the admissions officers expect SAT scores of prospective students to look like. This can help you see what your odds of being accepted might look like.
Other Interesting SAT Stats
Average SAT Score by Race / Ethnicity in 2024
| Race/Ethnicity | % of Test Takers | Average Combined Score | Average ERW Score | Average Math Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 1% | 881 | 449 | 432 |
| Asian | 10% | 1228 | 599 | 629 |
| Black/African American | 12% | 907 | 467 | 440 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 25% | 939 | 481 | 458 |
| Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander | 0% | 926 | 475 | 452 |
| White | 37% | 1083 | 551 | 532 |
| Two or more races | 4% | 1090 | 556 | 534 |
| No response | 12% | 949 | 477 | 471 |
Source 2024 SAT Suite Annual Report by College Board
Average SAT Score by Gender in 2023
| Gender | % of Test Takers | Average Combined Score | Average ERW Score | Average Math Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 50% | 1018 | 522 | 496 |
| Male | 49% | 1029 | 516 | 514 |
| Another/No response | 1% | 1067 | 556 | 511 |
Average Test-Taking History
This table reflects the statistics based on the day the student took the exam. “School Day Only” refers to students who took the SAT as part of a State, District, or School testing initiative. “School Day and Weekend” refers to students who took the School Day test and an additional test on the weekend. Students under “Weekend Only” only took the test during a nationally offered SAT date.
| Day | % of Test Takers | Average Combined Score | Average ERW Score | Average Math Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| School Day Only | 55% | 915 | 468 | 469 |
| School Day and Weekend | 13% | 1146 | 581 | 565 |
| Weekend Only | 32% | 1165 | 583 | 583 |
“Average” SAT Scores at Each College
What may be more relevant to you as a student is not how you compare to all students who took the SAT, but how you compare to students who are applying to the same college as you.
“Is my SAT score good enough to get into UCLA?” you might be asking yourself.
If you want to get an idea of how your score compares, and an idea of what your admissions chances might be, then you can look at the distribution of SAT scores within a single college.
On College Raptor, we publish the 25th and 75th percentile SAT scores for all colleges that report it, so you can see how your score stacks up. Keep in mind that, again, these are not truly “average” SAT scores. Instead, they show you how about half of the admitted students scored. Based on this data, you can see that 50% of all students score somewhere within this range. But, it’s not a rigid guideline. Half of the students score outside of this range–about 25% higher and 25% lower.
Here are some examples:
University of California Los Angeles average SAT scores
The University of California – Los Angeles often accepted students whose SAT Combined was between 1,320 and 1,540. Most students scored between a 650 and 780 on the Math portion, and between a 660 and 760 on ERW.
(via College Raptor)
Rice University’s average ACT scores
At Rice University, most accepted students received a 1,500 to 1,580 SAT Combined, a 760 to 800 SAT Math, and 750 to 780 ERW.
(via College Raptor)
Roanoke College average SAT scores
Roanoke College’s accepted students tend to have a SAT Combined between 1,100 and 1,290. The 25th and 75th percentiles for Math and ERW were 530 to 630 and 570 to 670, respectively.
(via College Raptor)
Understanding the average SAT scores nationally and at your potential colleges can help you set your own goals for the exam. You’ll know what you have to shoot for. Which can give you the motivation you need to do better on the test. Aim for beyond the “minimum” or “average” though! Going beyond is just one of the many things colleges look for in their applicants.
Want to see how your SAT (or ACT) scores stack up against other students who were recently admitted to your potential colleges? Get started with College Raptor’s College Match tool to get all the data. You can also search for individual colleges using the search tool!
