Indiana juniors who took the state-required SAT exam improved their reading and writing scores, while posting a slight improvement in math.
The 2024-25 scores on the SAT taken by 81,620 juniors showed a 2.7% improvement on the evidence-based reading and writing portion, but just a slight math score improvement from last year.
The Indiana State Board of Education reviewed the scores last week after their release.
A state law requires students to take a national college entrance exam and receive a passing score no lower than the national cut score.
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This year’s “at college-ready” benchmark score for reading and writing is 480, while the math score is 530. The College Board administers the SAT.
In reading and writing, 54.5% of students scored at or above the college-ready benchmark but in math, just 25.4% received passing scores, compared to 25.2% last year.
The pass rate for both reading/writing and math was 24.5%.
State assessment guidelines will change next year, as the state board develops a new grading system in line with the state’s new diploma standards, effective for the Class of 2029, who begin ninth grade year this fall.
Students can choose from a diploma that offers three readiness seals — college-bound, workforce employment, and military enlistment.
Under the new model, juniors will still be required to take the SAT, but the scores will only be used toward graduation if a student chooses that option.
Board member B.J. Watts said last week he wasn’t too concerned about the low math scores because it’s likely many of the juniors who took the exam weren’t planning on going to college.
“If we only pulled out students who are college-bound, scores change drastically.
“Students may not see their place in that test,” he said.
Lake Central High School, one of the largest traditional public schools in Northwest Indiana, with nearly 3,000 students, had the most students passing both portions of the SAT at 51.1%. Its students also had the top math pass rate at 52.8%.
Among charter schools, the Hammond Academy for Science and Technology (HAST) had the highest pass rate for both subjects at 21.3%.
Among private schools, Illiana Christian had the top pass rate for both subjects at 57.6%, including 59.25% of juniors passing the math portion
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
2025 SAT pass rate scores*
EBRW Math Both
State 54.5% 25.4% 24.4%
Lake County
Calumet New Tech 23.6% 4.9% 2.1%
Crown Point 72% 39.9% 38.7%
East Chicago 31% 5% 4.2%
Gary West Side 20.5% 9.1% 3.8%
Griffith 54.8% 11.5% 11.5%
Hammond Central 23.8% 2.6% 2.6%
Hammond Morton 22.5% 1.7% 1.7%
Hanover Central 69.4% 31.6% 30.1%
Highland 59.4% 21.2% 20.3%
Hobart 53.8% 19% 17.7%
Lake Central 73.9% 52.8% 51.1%
Lake Station 31.3% 2.5% 1.3%
Lowell 56.3% 21.6% 21.2%
Merrillville 37.4% 13.1% 12%
Munster 83.1% 46.6% 46.4%
Whiting 37.5% 18.2% 14.8%
Porter County
Boone Grove 71% 35.5% 34.4%
Chesterton 69.1% 39.5% 38.9%
Hebron 53.3% 16.1% 14.9%
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Kouts 56.4% 27.3% 25.5%
Morgan 71% 38.7% 38.7%
NWI Online School (Duneland) 33.3% 4.8% 4.8%
Portage 43.4% 16% 14.2%
Valparaiso 70.9% 38.9% 38.1%
Washington Twp. 81.5% 29.2% 27.7%
Wheeler 60.7% 39.3% 35.7%
Charter schools
21st Century Charter 25.7% 2.7% 2.7%
Gary Lighthouse 10.2% 3.7% 1.9%
Gary Middle College 5.3% 0% 0%
HAST (Hammond) 56.3% 21.3% 21.3%
Neighbors New Vistas 20.8% 4.2% 4.2%
Steel City Academy 54.2% 0% 0%
Thea Bowman 26.5% 0% 0%
Private schools
Andrean 81.7% 40.9% 39.1%
Bishop Noll 69.7% 22.9% 22.3%
Calumet Christian 87.5% 18.8% 18.8%
Hammond Baptist 74.2% 29% 29%
Illiana Christian 84.8% 59.2% 57.6%
Marquette 77.8% 47.6% 44.4%
Portage Christian 63.6% 27.3% 22.7%
Victory Christian 79.2% 29.2% 29.2%
*Indiana Department of Education