What is the average SAT score?
The average SAT score for the class of 2026 is 1045 out of 1600, according to College Board's 2026 annual report. That is 16 points above the class of 2025 (1029). The average Reading and Writing score is 528 and the average Math score is 517. The median, the score in the middle, is 1030.
In more detail
College Board published these numbers on September 29, 2026. They cover 1,954,833 students in the class of 2026 who took the SAT at least once in high school. Scores rose for the second year in a row: Reading and Writing is up 7 points and Math is up 9.
The average describes everyone who tested, not the applicants to one college. About 65 percent of test takers sat the SAT on a School Day through their school, so the group includes many students who tested because their school offered it. Colleges publish their own middle 50 percent range, and that range is the number to compare yourself to.
Treat the average as a reference point, not a target. College Board's college and career readiness benchmarks are 480 for Reading and Writing and 530 for Math, and 42 percent of the class of 2026 met both. A 1220 is the 75th percentile, so it beats about three in four test takers.
SAT score distribution, class of 2026
| Score or band | What it means |
|---|---|
| 870 | 25th percentile |
| 1030 | Median (50th percentile) |
| 1045 | Mean, the average |
| 1220 | 75th percentile |
| 1400-1600 | 9% of test takers |
| 1200-1390 | 19% of test takers |
| 1000-1190 | 28% of test takers |
| 800-990 | 29% of test takers |
| 600-790 | 13% of test takers |
| 400-590 | 2% of test takers |
Step by step
- 1
Take a full official practice test in Bluebook and write down your total and both section scores.
- 2
Look up the middle 50 percent SAT range of your target colleges on their admissions pages or in their Common Data Set, section C.
- 3
Compare your practice score with that range, not with 1045. Under the low end means a gap to close. Inside the range means you are in contention.
- 4
Find the topics that cost you the most points and drill those first.
- 5
Take the next practice test and compare the two results.
How StudyPDF helps
Beating the average takes practice on what you actually miss. Upload your class notes, handouts and worksheets, and StudyPDF builds flashcards, quizzes and practice exams from them, each answer linked to its source page. Your per-concept mastery shows which topics keep costing you points, so the next quiz drills them.
See also
- AnswerWhat is a good SAT score?
- AnswerWhat does GPA stand for?
- AnswerWhat does GPA mean?
- AnswerWhat is a great GPA?
- AnswerIs 1100 a good SAT score?
- AnswerIs 1500 a good SAT score?
- AnswerWhat is a perfect SAT score?
- Practice testPSAT Practice Test
- AnswerWhat is the average ACT score?
- StudyPDFAI Practice Exams
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More questions
Is the average SAT score going up?
Yes. The class of 2026 mean is 1045, 16 points above the class of 2025 (1029). It is the second straight year of gains, and both sections rose.
Is an average SAT score a good score?
It is a middle score: half of test takers score below about 1030. Whether it is good for you depends on the middle 50 percent range of the colleges you want.