The school of the week is Darlington Upper School.
SAT and ACT scores for students at Darlington School were above the local, state and national averages, according to data released by The College Board and American College Testing.
For the SAT, Darlington posted a total mean score of 1175, 127 points higher than the state average of 1048, 136 points higher than the national average of 1039, and 73 points higher than the next best average score in the area. The SAT was taken by 116 of Darlington’s 124 seniors who received an average of 586 in evidencebased reading and writing and an average of 590 in math.
For the ACT, Darlington posted an average composite score of 23.3, 2.6 points higher than the national average of 20.7, 1.9 points higher than the state average of 21.4, and 2.1 points higher than the next best average score in the area. The ACT was taken by 95 of Darlington’s 124 seniors, who received an average of 23.1 in English (state average is 20.9), 22.6 in Mathematics (state average is 20.7), 24.2 in Reading (state average is 22.2), and 22.7 in Science (state average is 21.2).
“We credit our students’ performance on the SAT and ACT to our strong college-preparatory curriculum and the fact that we encourage our students to stretch themselves – to take the most rigorous curriculum that they can handle,” said Sam Moss (‘63), dean of college guidance. “In analyzing our scores, it is also important to remember that all of our students are college prep – and, therefore, they all take either the SAT or the ACT. Most students take both tests. We believe that our curriculum prepares them very well for either.”
The ACT is one of the two standardized tests used for college admission. The test, administered by American College Testing, is seen as one assessment of a student’s readiness for college. The SAT, administered by The College Board, is the other. The ACT composite score is based on a scale of 1 to 36, and the SAT composite score ranges from 400 to 1600. Colleges use whichever of the two scores a student submits for admissions purposes and have no preference for one over the other.
“Many colleges base admissions decisions solely on a student’s high school GPA and SAT or ACT scores,” said Moss. “Other colleges make the admissions decision by ‘reading holistically.’ This means that in addition to the GPA and test scores, a number of other factors may be considered. Factors such as leadership, athletics, activities, geographical and socioeconomic factors, teacher recommendations, and legacy status are among those that may be taken into consideration. Both the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech, for example, make decisions by the holistic method.”
Darlington’s uniquely structured College Guidance Program is led by 12 seasoned college advisers, which translates to approximately one adviser per every 10 seniors. Students meet with their college adviser a minimum of twice per week, providing the support our students need to help them find the right fit and make the best decisions about their futures.