Cobb and Marietta See Increase in SAT Scores

Both the Cobb and Marietta school districts saw their average SAT scores increase this year, data released Wednesday shows.

The average SAT score in Cobb schools increased by one point, while the average score at Marietta High School increased by 11 points.

Both districts continued to outperform the statewide and national averages.

“Cobb families choose to live here because they know they’re giving their kids the best chance to succeed. SAT scores, which lead our metro peers, confirm they’ve made the right choice,” Board Chair Randy Scamihorn said.

Out of 168 districts, Cobb’s average score ranked ninth in the state, after Forsyth County, Decatur City, Oconee County, Buford City, Catoosa County, Walker County, Fayette County and Jefferson City.

Marietta ranked 24th in the state.

While there are 181 school districts in Georgia, the state did not report average scores in 13 school districts where 15 or fewer tests were administered.

Both Cobb and Marietta outperformed several large metro Atlanta districts, including Gwinnett, DeKalb, Paulding, Clayton, Henry and Atlanta Public Schools.

Cobb outperformed Fulton County and Marietta by 42 points and Cherokee County by 22 points.

Cobb’s ranking slipped one spot from last year, when it had the eighth best average score in the state. Marietta’s ranking improved from last year, when it had the 36th best average score.

“Our students continue to set higher standards of academic excellence,” said Marietta Superintendent Grant Rivera. “Their hard work, combined with the support of our educators and community, has led to these outstanding results.”

The test is made up of a reading and writing section and a math section — 1600 is a perfect score. This year’s average scores are listed below.

♦ Cobb: 1105

♦ Marietta: 1063

♦ Georgia: 1030

♦ National: 995

Across both districts, average scores went up, while state and national averages declined.

Georgia students’ average score decreased by 15 points compared to 2023. The national average score also decreased from 1003 to 995.

This year, eight Cobb high schools saw their average score dip while the other eight saw an increase.

Wheeler and Allatoona high schools saw the largest decline in scores by 17 and 13 points, respectively.

Osborne High School had the highest score increase of 29 points, followed by Hillgrove High School with an increase of 24 points.

Six of Cobb’s schools had average scores above 1100.

The top performing schools in Cobb were Walton, Pope and Lassiter high schools.

Both districts saw average scores increase in the reading/writing section of the test, while only Marietta saw an increase in math.

Marietta’s reading increased from 452 to 545; its math increased from 510 to 518.

Cobb’s reading increased from 563 to 565; its math slipped from 541 to 540.

Increased Participation

Participation across the state increased with 52% of Georgia’s class of 2024 taking the SAT at some point during high school, compared to 50% of the class of 2023.

In Marietta, participation increased by 9%.

Cobb County saw 4,593 students take the SAT, while Marietta High School had 268 test-takers.

According to the Georgia Department of Education, increased participation can sometimes lead to moderate drops in performance.

The average Georgia SAT test-taker scored 15 points lower than last year, and 54 points lower than 2022. The average national score declined by eight points this year, and by 33 points over the last two years.

Despite an overall decline at the state level, State School Superintendent Richard Woods praised the fact that Georgia outperformed the national average for the seventh year in a row.

“I am so proud of the class of 2024 and their teachers, parents, families, and the communities who supported them,” Woods said. “We continue to see Georgia students outpacing the national average on the SAT and ACT and that’s a testament to the work we’ve done in Georgia to invest in our students’ academic recovery post-pandemic and create opportunities in our public schools that prepare every child for life.”