Lake Washington School District (LWSD) seniors in the class of 2011 scored higher overall on the SAT than students from previous years.

District students continue to score well above state and national averages. Scores in the district increased incrementally, up two points each in reading and writing while decreasing one point in math. At the same time, Washington state and national scores were lower in reading and math. State scores gained an average of one point in writing while national averages fell two points.

Over the last five years, average SAT scores in Washington and nationally have fallen or remained the same. At the same time, LWSD’s average scores have increased 11 points in critical reading, nine in math and 16 in writing on average.

“More students are taking the test and scores on average are up,” said Superintendent Dr. Chip Kimball. “We are making progress on our goal to ensure that students are ready for college.”

The total number of SAT test takers in LWSD increased from 1,038 in 2010 to 1,205 in 2011 — the highest total in the last five years.

Average critical reading scores in the district increased two points, from 560 to 562. Reading scores across the state of Washington fell from 524 last year to 523 this year. Nationally, reading scores fell even more, from 500 on average to 497.

LWSD math scores fell one point on average for a second year in a row but those declines followed increases of six points in 2008 and five points in 2009. LWSD students averaged 572 this year, compared to 563 in 2007. State math scores averaged 529 this year, down from 531 last year. National scores declined from 515 on average to 514.

LWSD continued its track record of increasing writing scores each year with a step up from 555 on average to 557. State scores increased from 507 to 508 while national scores declined from 491 to 489.