2020-21 SAT scores are in. Here’s how Rock Hill-region schools performed
Nothing about the 2020-21 academic year was normal — in York, Chester and Lancaster counties, as well as across the country — and that was evident in an analysis of standardized test scores. But data shows not all of the area districts suffered.
The SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test), usually a requirement for college applications, was paused by the College Board for May, June and July of 2020. Many colleges and universities stopped requiring SAT scores for applicants, including University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Winthrop University in Rock Hill.
This led to a drop in overall participation, College Board officials said.
“Because participation numbers vary so widely from normal years due to the pandemic, it is not possible to compare performance results between the class of 2021 and previous classes,” The College Board said in a statement in September 2021.
In the Rock Hill area, most school districts saw a decline in test takers and a drop in scores, but not all of them were dramatic. And two school districts actually improved their scores, while one saw a rise in participation.
A district’s performance on the SAT is based on participation rates, evidence-based reading and writing scores, math scores, and aggregate scores. ERW are graded on a scale of 200 to 800, math on a scale of 200 to 800, and total scores from 400 to 1600.
The national average this year was a total score of 1060.
Here’s a look at how each school district’s students fared in the SAT, according to data gathered by the South Carolina Department of Eduaction.
Districts are listed in order of highest to lowest total score.
Fort Mill School District
Fort Mill’s scores went down this year, but it still landed the top spot.
Participation dropped very slightly (95.8% to 94%), but remained far higher than other area districts. The district’s scores dipped in all three categories. ERW from 550 to 537 and math from 550 to 531. While the district’s overall score dropped from 1096 to 1068, it was still eight points above the national average.
The district’s average total score was 44 points above the next school district.
Lancaster County School District
Test takers might have dropped in Lancaster schools this year (59.7% to 39.5%), but the rest of the district’s SAT stats actually improved, moving the district closer to the national average. LCSD was one of only two area districts that showed rising scores this year.
ERW scores were up (505 to 523), math scores were up (488 to 501), and total scores jumped 31 points from 993 to 1024.
York School District 1
While York School District 1 saw the typical participation drop (47.9% to 33.2%), its scores also improved this year. ERW scores went up (503 to 526), math went up (488 to 495), and total scores rose from 991 to 1021, closely trailing LCSD by just 3 points.
Clover School District
Clover was the only district where test participation went up, from 86.% to 93.6%. Along with Fort Mill, the percentage of students who took the test far outnumbers other districts.
Clover’s drop in ERW score was very slight -- 516 to 519. The drop in math scores was from 519 to 497. Total scores went from 1022 to 1013.
Rock Hill Schools
Chester County School District
Chester County had the lowest scores in the tri-county area. Participation went from 34.8% in the previous school year to 26.1% this year. This is also the lowest participation rate out of the six districts.
Chester’s ERW scores went down from 503 to 472. Math dipped by 8 points (480 to 488). The district’s total average score was 920, down from 983 last year.
