Articles

Top SAT schools score in diversity

By Patti Ghezzi
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
August 31, 2006

Three are magnet schools. Eight are in metro Atlanta. One did not meet state standards under No Child Left Behind.

The 10 Georgia high schools with the highest SAT averages on a list released Wednesday by the state Department of Education and the governor's office are a varied lot. But they also have plenty in common: parents who expect the school to prepare their kids for top colleges.

Several of the top schools serve students who come from mostly affluent, college-educated families. Not surprisingly, most of the state's lowest-performing schools primarily serve students from low-income families.

But the list of top performers proves schools can be diverse and high-achieving. For example, Lakeside High in DeKalb County has almost a quarter of its students on free or discounted lunch, yet its average of 1660 of a possible 2400 was good enough for ninth place. The school is known for highly involved parents who saved their principal's job last spring by insisting he be returned to the post after he was demoted. Despite the high SAT ranking, Lakeside did not meet state standards under federal law, because its Hispanic and impoverished students did not do well enough on the English portion of the state graduation test.

Contrary to a common perception, the top-scoring SAT schools do not serve only white students. DeKalb School of the Arts, a magnet school also known for intense parental involvement, is 65 percent African-American. Its average, 1679, is third-highest.

Magnet schools such as Davidson Magnet in Richmond County — No. 1 on the list with an average of 1752 — and schools with magnet programs such as Chamblee High (No. 6, 1666) have an advantage, because they have selection criteria. But schools that serve a general population can also excel. Fulton County's North Springs High's average of 1647 landed the school in 10th place. The school is about 45 percent white and 40 percent African-American.

About a quarter of its students qualify for subsidized lunch, according to the state Department of Education.

Parents often choose their homes so their children can attend a school with a high SAT average.

Roseann Gerson wanted her kids to go Walton High in east Cobb, which this year ranked second with a 1705 average score. "The talk on the street is that it's a private school with public funding," Gerson said. "It's always strived to be academically strong."

Principals encourage parents not to look solely at SAT scores when judging a school. Other factors, such as pass rates on the graduation test and the number of Advanced Placement courses offered, can help parents decide how well a high school is preparing students for college.

Copyright 2006 The Atlanta Journal Constitution. More information: www.ajc.com

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