The average SAT score for the high school class of 2026 climbed to 1045, a 16-point gain over the class of 2025, according to the College Board’s 2026 SAT Suite annual report released this week. It marks the second consecutive year of increases, with scores up across all demographic groups. This marks a positive improvement coming out of Covid as more students choose to send SAT scores even when colleges don’t require them.
Both test sections improved. Reading and Writing rose 7 points to 528, which the College Board says returns that section to pre-pandemic levels. Math gained 9 points to 517 but still trails the 523 average posted by the class of 2020. Students can compare their own results against what counts as a good SAT score.
Why It Matters
The SAT improvement is coming at a time when test optional is ending at many colleges nationwide. Every Ivy League school now requires test scores, and Notre Dame will require the SAT or ACT starting with fall 2028 applicants. In the class of 2026, 42% of test takers met or exceeded both the Reading and Writing and Math college readiness benchmarks, approaching the 45% the class of 2019 reached, per the College Board.
The report also found that more than 1.3 million students earned SAT scores that affirmed or exceeded their high school GPA, making the score a strength on their application. That held for more than 82% of Black and Latino students and nearly 80% of first-generation students, a useful signal at a time when grade inflation makes GPAs harder for admissions offices to read.
The Details
- More than 1.95 million students in the class of 2026 took the SAT, a 2.5% decrease from the prior class and the first drop since the pandemic-affected class of 2021.
- Participation still grew in 42 states and the District of Columbia, while international participation rose 13.5%.
- SAT School Day, often free to students, accounted for 65% of test takers, with more than 10,000 schools offering it.
- About 3 million students took the PSAT/NMSQT, the only qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship. Mean scores on PSAT-related tests ticked up after three straight years of declines.
How This Connects
Math remains the weak spot, and that lines up with other data we’ve tracked. U.S. teens ranked 23rd in math on the 2026 global exam, and UC San Diego’s remedial math class filled up this year.
For families, scores carry a direct financial payoff because many schools tie merit aid to test results, which can offset part of the $34,019 families spent on college last year.
What’s Next
The class of 2027 is testing now, and its fall SAT and PSAT/NMSQT results will show whether the math recovery continues.
Families deciding whether to test can check which colleges require the SAT or ACT for 2027 and compare paid and free SAT prep options, including the College Board’s free Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy.
Robert Farrington is the founder of The College Investor and is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading voices on student loan debt and saving for college. He holds an MBA from UC San Diego Rady School of Management and has spent over 15 years researching, writing, and advising on student loans, 529 plans, financial aid programs, and saving and investing for young professionals.
Robert has been featured in the The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, NBC News, and Forbes, where he has been a regular personal finance contributor for over a decade. His work combines both professional expertise and personal experience – he successfully navigated his own student loan repayment journey and has helped thousands of readers do the same.
He is committed to making the intersection of personal finance and education transparent and accessible. You can learn more about Robert on the About Page or on his personal site RobertFarrington.com.
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