What is the average SAT score? For the class of 2026, the average SAT score was 1045 out of 1600. The average Reading and Writing score was 528, and the average Math score was 517. College Board's 2026 annual report counts 1,954,833 students in that class who took the SAT in high school.
Short answer: about 1045, and a score above 1050 is above average. College Board's own What Is a Good Score? page says "the average SAT score is around 1050." To see what your own score means, use our What Is a Good SAT Score tool. If you want the full scoring picture first, read what the SAT is out of and how it is scored.
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Start 1-day free trial →What is the average SAT score in 2026?
The average SAT score for the class of 2026 is 1045. These numbers come from College Board's 2026 SAT Suite annual report, released on September 29, 2026.
| Measure (class of 2026) | Score |
|---|---|
| Average total score | 1045 |
| Average Reading and Writing score | 528 |
| Average Math score | 517 |
| Median total score (50th percentile) | 1030 |
| Middle half of scores (25th to 75th percentile) | 870 to 1220 |
| Students who took the SAT | 1,954,833 |
| Students who scored 1600 | 691 (0.04%) |
The report counts each student once. If a student took the SAT more than once, the report uses the most recent score. So the average is not the average of every test given. It is the average of each student's latest score.
Reading and Writing and Math may not add up exactly to the total. The report says this happens "due to rounding."
Is the average SAT score going up?
Yes. The average rose 16 points from the class of 2025 to the class of 2026. In College Board's press release, Reading and Writing "increased 7 points to 528, returning to pre-pandemic levels." Math "improved 9 points to 517," which "remains below the 2020 cohort's pre-pandemic 523 average."
| Graduating class | Average total | Students tested |
|---|---|---|
| Class of 2025 | 1029 | 2,004,965 |
| Class of 2026 | 1045 | 1,954,833 |
Source: College Board's 2025 and 2026 annual reports. The press release calls this the second year in a row of score gains.
Is 1045 the same as the 50th percentile?
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Not quite. The average is 1045, but the median is 1030. Half of the class scored at or below 1030, per the 2026 report. The average sits a little higher because high scores pull it up.
Percentiles use a different group. College Board's percentile table is based on students "that graduated in the past three school years." On that table, a 1050 is the 55th percentile. A 1000 is the 47th, and a 1200 is the 75th. You can check any score on our SAT percentiles page or the Is 1050 a good SAT score? page. For a higher target, see what percentile a 1400 is.
How are SAT scores spread out?
Most students score between 800 and 1190. The 2026 report shows the class of 2026 in six score bands:
| Total score band | Students | Share of test takers |
|---|---|---|
| 1400 to 1600 | 167,152 | 9% |
| 1200 to 1390 | 377,381 | 19% |
| 1000 to 1190 | 549,902 | 28% |
| 800 to 990 | 562,438 | 29% |
| 600 to 790 | 251,378 | 13% |
| 400 to 590 | 46,582 | 2% |
So a 1200 or higher puts you in the top 28% of the class, and a 1400 puts you in the top 9%. Our guides on how to get a 1200 and how to get a 1400 show the section scores each one takes.
Why do weekend test takers score higher?
Because the two groups are different. Through SAT School Day, schools, districts and states give the SAT during the school day. In some states, every 11th grader takes it as a state test. Weekend testers are students who sign up on their own.
| How students tested (class of 2026) | Students | Average total |
|---|---|---|
| School Day (any) | 1,262,698 (65%) | 972 |
| Weekend only | 692,135 (35%) | 1179 |
| School Day and weekend | 294,579 (15%) | 1179 |
Source: page 8 of the 2026 annual report. So "the average" depends on who took the test. A 1045 is average for the whole class, while 1179 is the average for students who tested only on a weekend.
What is the average SAT score by state?
It varies a lot by state, and so does the share of students who test. College Board publishes a report for each state. Here are nine states for the class of 2026:
| State | Average total | RW | Math | Students tested | Share of graduates tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 1215 | 608 | 607 | 20,254 | 15% |
| California | 1108 | 560 | 548 | 138,763 | 30% |
| New Jersey | 1069 | 539 | 530 | 74,209 | 68% |
| New York | 1053 | 529 | 524 | 127,180 | 63% |
| Georgia | 1041 | 531 | 510 | 79,606 | 60% |
| Colorado | 994 | 511 | 484 | 59,974 | 92% |
| Florida | 983 | 506 | 477 | 204,701 | 86% |
| Texas | 972 | 494 | 478 | 308,166 | 75% |
| Michigan | 959 | 492 | 466 | 105,586 | 100% |
Source: College Board 2026 state reports. "Share of graduates tested" is College Board's participation rate for the class of 2026. Do not read this table as a ranking of schools. Illinois tested 15% of its graduates, while Michigan's rate is 100%. The national report lists Colorado and Michigan among the states that give the SAT to every 11th grader.
What is the average SAT score at a specific college?
Each college has its own average. For the eight colleges below, it runs from 1113 to 1410. Here are the averages for colleges that students often search for, from each school's profile page on The Test Advantage. The data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
| College | Average SAT | Middle 50% range |
|---|---|---|
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 1410 | 1310 to 1500 |
| Ohio State University | 1387 | 1310 to 1480 |
| Purdue University | 1364 | 1200 to 1480 |
| Clemson University | 1353 | 1240 to 1410 |
| Indiana University-Bloomington | 1313 | 1170 to 1400 |
| George Mason University | 1274 | 1160 to 1360 |
| Texas Tech University | 1190 | 1090 to 1280 |
| Kennesaw State University | 1113 | 1000 to 1220 |
The middle 50% range is the sum of each section's 25th and 75th percentile scores. Look up any of 265 schools on our college SAT scores page.
How do you score above the average SAT score?
Find your starting score, then practice the skills that cost you points. Here is a simple plan.
- Get a real starting score. Create a free account and take one full-length adaptive SAT test free, with a score range. It uses the same timing as the SAT: two Reading and Writing modules of 27 questions or two Math modules of 22.
- Practice by skill. Our SAT Question Bank groups Digital SAT questions by test month, with English and Math banks for US and International forms. The June 2026 Reading and Writing Question Bank is free with an account. You can also try five sample questions from any test in the practice test catalog.
- Make a weekly plan. Enter your score, target and test date in the free SAT Study Plan Generator. It builds a week-by-week schedule. Our guide on how many hours to study for the SAT helps you pick your weekly hours.
- Follow a method. Our guide on how to ace the SAT lays out a full study method. If you hear that a score was "curved," read whether the SAT is curved.
How we built this page: National averages, the median, score bands, the 1600 count and the School Day and weekend split come from College Board's 2026 Total Group SAT Suite Annual Report (pages 7 to 10). The class of 2025 figures come from the 2025 report. The section changes and the 2020 Math average come from College Board's September 29, 2026 press release. State figures come from College Board's 2026 state reports for the nine states shown. Percentiles come from College Board's SAT percentile table. College averages come from The Test Advantage college profiles, which use College Scorecard data, and match the Scorecard API. Verified 2026-10-13.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average SAT score?
The average SAT score for the class of 2026 is 1045 out of 1600, per College Board's 2026 annual report. The average Reading and Writing score is 528 and the average Math score is 517.
Is 1045 the same as the median SAT score?
No. The median, or 50th percentile, for the class of 2026 is 1030. The middle half of students scored from 870 to 1220. The average sits a little above the median because high scores pull it up.
Did the average SAT score go up in 2026?
Yes. The class of 2026 averaged 1045, up 16 points from 1029 for the class of 2025. Reading and Writing rose 7 points to 528 and Math rose 9 points to 517.
Why is the weekend SAT average higher than the School Day average?
The groups differ. In the class of 2026, students who tested on a School Day averaged 972, and students who tested only on a weekend averaged 1179. In some states every 11th grader takes the SAT in school.
What is the average SAT score in California?
College Board's 2026 California report shows an average of 1108 for 138,763 students in the class of 2026, about 30% of the state's graduates. States that test fewer students often post higher averages.
Is a 1050 SAT score above average?
Yes, slightly. College Board says the average is around 1050, and a 1050 is the 55th percentile on its user group table. A 1200 is the 75th percentile and a 1400 is the 93rd.
Related Concepts
Sources and Citation Targets
- College Board: 2026 Total Group SAT Suite Annual Report
- College Board: 2025 Total Group SAT Suite Annual Report
- College Board newsroom: As the SAT Turns 100 (Sept. 29, 2026)
- College Board: SAT Suite program results and state reports
- College Board Research: SAT percentiles
- College Board: What is a good score?