You might think that the summer time is a low point for data. But right as summer break began, the California Department of Education released new data: participation rates for the SAT, ACT and AP tests.
The data is a year old, but I’ll take it.
First, let’s define SAT participation rates: The SAT participation rate is the percent of seniors who took the SAT at some point in high school. They could have taken it in 9th, 10th, 11th or 12th grade – it does not matter.
In the 2015-16 school year, 73% of independent charter school students took the SAT. That is higher than the district, where 61% of students in traditional high schools took the test.
Out of the students at alternative schools, such as community day schools, special education schools or continuation schools, only 3% took the SAT. Also of note, affiliated charters, which tend to be wealthier, had lower participation rates than either independent charter or traditional public schools.
Several schools had 100% participation in the SAT:
- PUC Community Charter High
- Alliance Patti And Peter Neuwirth Leadership Academy
- Wallis Annenberg High
- New Designs Charter
- Harbor Teacher Preparation Academy
- Crenshaw Arts-Technology Charter High
- Alliance Collins Family College-Ready High
- Alliance College-Ready Academy High 16
- Alliance Dr. Olga Mohan High
- Alliance Renee and Meyer Luskin Academy High
- Magnolia Science Academy 3
- Magnolia Science Academy 4
- RFK Community Schools-New Open World Academy K-12
- PUC Lakeview Charter High
Only 2 of those 14 schools are traditional high schools, while the other 12 are independent charters.
Another interesting pattern: All of these schools have senior classes with less than 150 students. It makes sense – having fewer students might make it easier to track and manage their SAT participation.
However, when you look at it, there is a weak correlation between class size and SAT participation rates. Senior class size is obviously not the only factor influencing SAT participation rates. The reason I did this was not to show that there is a strong correlation (there isn’t) but to point out several outliers:
- Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet had a large senior class of 400, but has an SAT participation rate of 94.2%.
- Humanities and Arts (HARTS) Academy of Los Angeles had a senior class of only 81, but only 42% of their students took the SAT.
There are so many factors at play here: cost of the test, paperwork for fee waivers, student motivation and planned career path. But one major factor may be the decision to take the SAT or the ACT. More on that next time…
Until then, you can look up your school’s SAT participation rate below (only available on schooldatanerd.com):
|
School Name
|
Percent SAT Participation
|
|---|---|
| View Park Preparatory Accelerated High | Data Not Available |
| Camino Nuevo High No. 2 | Data Not Available |
| PUC CALS Middle and Early College High | Data Not Available |
| Camino Nuevo Charter High | Data Not Available |
| View Park Preparatory Accelerated Charter | Data Not Available |
| Camino Nuevo Academy #2 | Data Not Available |
| PUC Community Charter Middle and PUC Community Cha | 112.90% |
| Alliance Patti And Peter Neuwirth Leadership Acade | 110.92% |
| Wallis Annenberg High | 109.09% |
| New Designs Charter | 105.19% |
| Harbor Teacher Preparation Academy | 103.26% |
| Crenshaw Arts-Technology Charter High | 103.03% |
| Alliance Collins Family College-Ready High | 102.74% |
| Alliance College-Ready Academy High 16 | 102.17% |
| Alliance Dr. Olga Mohan High | 101.90% |
| Alliance Renee and Meyer Luskin Academy High | 101.04% |
| PUC Lakeview Charter High | 100.00% |
| RFK Community Schools-New Open World Academy K-12 | 100.00% |
| Magnolia Science Academy 3 | 100.00% |
| Magnolia Science Academy 4 | 100.00% |
| PUC Early College Academy for Leaders and Scholars | 99.06% |
| Central City Value | 98.29% |
| Alliance Judy Ivie Burton Technology Academy High | 97.01% |
| New Village Girls Academy | 96.30% |
| Animo South Los Angeles Charter | 95.30% |
| Contreras Learning Center-School of Social Justice | 95.15% |
| Magnolia Science Academy | 95.00% |
| Alliance Cindy and Bill Simon Technology Academy H | 94.74% |
| Foshay Learning Center | 94.70% |
| Animo Pat Brown | 94.52% |
| Aspire Pacific Academy | 94.44% |
| Alliance Ouchi-O'Donovan 6-12 Complex | 94.26% |
| Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High | 94.25% |
| Oscar De La Hoya Animo Charter High | 93.92% |
| Animo Venice Charter High | 93.70% |
| Alliance Leichtman-Levine Family Foundation Enviro | 92.50% |
| PUC Triumph Charter Academy and PUC Triumph Charte | 92.50% |
| Alliance Marc & Eva Stern Math and Science | 91.67% |
| Alliance Morgan McKinzie High | 90.48% |
| RFK Community Schools-for the Visual Arts and Huma | 89.39% |
| Alliance Tennenbaum Family Technology High | 88.64% |
| Cesar E. Chavez Learning Academies-Social Justice | 88.24% |
| Alliance Health Services Academy High | 87.76% |
| Augustus F. Hawkins High A Critical Design and Gam | 87.32% |
| RFK Community Schools-Los Angeles High School of t | 87.06% |
| Social Justice Leadership Academy at Esteban E. To | 87.06% |
| Math, Science, & Technology Magnet Academy at Roos | 86.73% |
| Downtown Business High | 86.55% |
| Thirty-Second Street USC Performing Arts | 85.37% |
| Alliance Susan and Eric Smidt Technology High | 84.85% |
| RFK Community Schools-UCLA Community K-12 | 84.55% |
| Animo Watts College Preparatory Academy | 84.48% |
| Animo Jackie Robinson High | 84.11% |
| Synergy Quantum Academy | 83.90% |
| King/Drew Medical Magnet High | 83.57% |
| Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies | 83.11% |
| Orthopaedic Hospital | 82.70% |
| Los Angeles Academy of Arts & Enterprise Charter | 82.14% |
| School of Business and Tourism at Contreras Learni | 81.65% |
| Ivy Academia | 81.25% |
| Middle College High | 79.44% |
| STEM Academy at Bernstein High | 78.42% |
| Larchmont Charter | 78.26% |
| Student Empowerment Academy | 78.26% |
| North Valley Military Institute College Preparator | 78.26% |
| Los Angeles Teacher Preparatory Academy | 77.78% |
| Los Angeles River at Sonia Sotomayor Learning Acad | 77.50% |
| Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathema | 76.79% |
| Discovery Charter Preparatory #2 | 76.27% |
| International Studies Learning Center at Legacy Hi | 76.15% |
| Humanitas Academy of Art and Technology at Esteban | 76.00% |
| Los Angeles Leadership Academy | 73.53% |
| Linda Esperanza Marquez High B LIBRA Academy | 73.38% |
| Bright Star Secondary Charter Academy | 73.21% |
| Alliance Gertz-Ressler Richard Merkin 6-12 Complex | 72.95% |
| Academy of Medical Arts at Carson High | 72.73% |
| Augustus F. Hawkins High B Community Health Advoca | 72.60% |
| Academy of Science and Engineering | 72.46% |
| Hollywood Senior High | 72.40% |
| Public Service Community at Diego Rivera Learning | 71.43% |
| New Designs Charter School-Watts | 71.43% |
| Santee Education Complex | 71.07% |
| Vaughn Next Century Learning Center | 70.90% |
| Magnolia Science Academy 2 | 70.83% |
| Communication and Technology at Diego Rivera Learn | 70.48% |
| Valley Alternative Magnet | 70.21% |
| Granada Hills Charter High | 69.95% |
| Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies | 69.64% |
| RFK Community Schools-Ambassador-Global Leadership | 69.62% |
| CHAMPS - Charter HS of Arts-Multimedia & Performin | 69.47% |
| Renaissance Arts Academy | 69.05% |
| Arleta High | 69.01% |
| Contreras Learning Center-Los Angeles School of Gl | 68.89% |
| Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing | 68.42% |
| Palisades Charter High | 68.21% |
| University Senior High | 68.16% |
| Animo Ralph Bunche Charter High | 68.09% |
| Linda Esperanza Marquez High A Huntington Park Ins | 67.61% |
| East Los Angeles Renaissance Academy at Esteban E. | 67.57% |
| Academies of Education and Empowerment at Carson H | 67.24% |
| John Marshall Senior High | 67.18% |
| Manual Arts Senior High | 66.56% |
| Port of Los Angeles High | 65.91% |
| Northridge Academy High | 65.58% |
| School of History and Dramatic Arts at Sonia Sotom | 65.17% |
| Bell Senior High | 64.85% |
| Eagle Rock High | 64.84% |
| James A. Garfield Senior High | 64.76% |
| South East High | 64.72% |
| WESM Health/Sports Medicine | 64.54% |
| Daniel Pearl Journalism & Communications Magnet | 64.52% |
| Valley Academy of Arts and Sciences | 64.09% |
| Rancho Dominguez Preparatory | 63.01% |
| Belmont Senior High | 62.57% |
| Los Angeles Senior High | 62.42% |
| Esteban Torres East LA Performing Arts Magnet | 62.00% |
| Phineas Banning Senior High | 61.95% |
| Woodrow Wilson Senior High | 61.56% |
| High Tech LA | 61.25% |
| Augustus F. Hawkins High C Responsible Indigenous | 61.11% |
| Huntington Park Senior High | 61.06% |
| Engineering and Technology Academy at Esteban E. T | 60.76% |
| Alexander Hamilton Senior High | 60.64% |
| New Millennium Secondary | 60.47% |
| John H. Francis Polytechnic | 60.44% |
| Van Nuys Senior High | 60.38% |
| Performing Arts Community at Diego Rivera Learning | 60.32% |
| West Adams Preparatory High | 60.27% |
| Susan Miller Dorsey Senior High | 60.25% |
| Abraham Lincoln Senior High | 60.15% |
| Grover Cleveland Charter High | 59.66% |
| Venice Senior High | 59.43% |
| Visual and Performing Arts at Legacy High School C | 59.42% |
| Elizabeth Learning Center | 59.15% |
| East Valley Senior High | 58.99% |
| South Gate Senior High | 58.79% |
| Fairfax Senior High | 58.64% |
| Contreras Learning Center-Academic Leadership Comm | 57.95% |
| Carson Senior High | 57.23% |
| Edward R. Roybal Learning Center | 56.86% |
| Sylmar Senior High | 56.72% |
| Benjamin Franklin Senior High | 56.62% |
| Thomas Jefferson Senior High | 56.09% |
| John F. Kennedy High | 55.79% |
| North Hollywood Senior High | 55.22% |
| San Fernando Senior High | 54.83% |
| Hilda L. Solis Learning Academy School of Technolo | 53.95% |
| Verdugo Hills Senior High | 53.36% |
| Crenshaw Science, Technology, Engineering, Math an | 53.15% |
| Robert Fulton College Preparatory | 52.94% |
| Linda Esperanza Marquez High C School of Social Ju | 52.78% |
| Maywood Academy High | 52.69% |
| Nathaniel Narbonne Senior High | 52.64% |
| Animo College Preparatory Academy | 52.38% |
| Cesar E. Chavez Learning Academies-Academy of Scie | 51.52% |
| Reseda Senior High | 51.44% |
| Green Design at Diego Rivera Learning Complex | 50.60% |
| Cesar E. Chavez Learning Academies-Teacher Prepara | 50.43% |
| Dr. Maya Angelou Community High | 50.00% |
| Theodore Roosevelt Senior High | 49.66% |
| Birmingham Community Charter High | 49.25% |
| Alain Leroy Locke College Preparatory Academy | 48.85% |
| San Pedro Senior High | 48.70% |
| El Camino Real Charter High | 45.88% |
| Helen Bernstein High | 45.83% |
| Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez High | 45.18% |
| APEX Academy | 45.10% |
| Canoga Park Senior High | 44.48% |
| Sylmar Biotech Health Academy | 43.21% |
| Gardena Senior High | 43.02% |
| Panorama High | 42.62% |
| Taft Charter High | 42.11% |
| Humanities and Arts (HARTS) Academy of Los Angeles | 41.98% |
| Cesar E. Chavez Learning Academy - Arts/Theatre/En | 41.67% |
| George Washington Preparatory High | 41.20% |
| Chatsworth Charter High | 40.63% |
| Ulysses S. Grant Senior High | 39.62% |
| James Monroe High | 39.61% |
| John C. Fremont Senior High | 39.55% |
| Sun Valley High | 38.20% |
| David Starr Jordan Senior High | 34.42% |
| Academy for Multilingual Arts and Science at Mervy | 32.28% |
| Environmental and Social Policy Magnet | 30.43% |
| Leadership in Entertainment and Media Arts (LEMA) | 29.09% |
| USC Hybrid High | 15.73% |
| View Park Continuation | 11.11% |
| Richard A. Alonzo Community Day | 11.11% |
| Cheviot Hills Continuation | 8.33% |
| Thomas Riley High | 6.45% |
| Ramona Opportunity High | 6.25% |
| Henry David Thoreau Continuation | 6.25% |
| Will Rogers Continuation | 6.02% |
| City of Angels | 5.39% |
| Frida Kahlo High | 4.26% |
| San Antonio Continuation | 3.92% |
| William J. Johnston Community Day | 3.33% |
| Phoenix Continuation | 3.13% |
| Odyssey Continuation | 3.13% |
| Robert H. Lewis Continuation | 2.86% |
| Jane Addams Continuation | 2.63% |
| Independence Continuation | 2.13% |
| Youth Opportunities Unlimited | 1.02% |
| Early College Academy-LA Trade Tech College | 0.99% |
| Central High | 0.84% |
| Los Angeles Unified Alternative Education | 0.00% |
| Harold McAlister High (Opportunity) | 0.00% |
| William Tell Aggeler Opportunity High | 0.00% |
| Pacific Boulevard | 0.00% |
[…] Charter Schools have higher SAT Participation Rates […]
[…] Charter Schools have higher SAT Participation Rates […]