SAT scores show increases for most high schools in area

SAT scores rose last year for five of the eight local high schools with the percentage of area scores over 1500 — a state benchmark — climbing by more than 10%.

The increase overall was from 76.47% in 2009 to 86.98% last year.

Top scores were at Monte Vista High School in the San Ramon Valley district even though the school reported a slight drop from the year earlier of less than 1%, from 86.16 to 85.54. Foothill High in Pleasanton also dropped by .05%, but still retained high marks of 80.56%, compared to 80.61% the year before.

Scores at Amador Valley High in Pleasanton rose from 76.60 to 79.38% while California High School jumped about 3%, from 71.69 to 74.70%.

Score results are for students who took the SATs (formerly known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test), according to state figures.

Other schools with slight improvements were Granada High in Livermore, up about 1% from 69.12 to 70.25%, and Dublin High, with an increase of .26% from 61.64% of students with a score of 1500 or greater in 2009 to 61.90%.

Of the three schools with lower scores, Livermore High School showed the steepest lost, dropping almost 4% from 69.01% in 2009 to 65.13 last year.

Nearly 79% of students at Dougherty Valley High scored above 1500 in 2010, the first year seniors took the SATs.

Although most districts offer home schooling on a formal or informal basis, only one, Venture Alternative School, in the San Ramon District, had students that passed the state benchmark score, with 71.43% of seniors at Venture scoring 1500 or greater.

None of the continuation high schools had a significant number of seniors who scored 1500 or higher.

The 2010 scores were released by the state earlier this month.

–Glenn Wohltmann

–Glenn Wohltmann