Lancaster County's Class of 2008 bested the state and nation in reading and math on the SAT.

It beat the state in writing, but was four points shy of topping the national average.

The local high schools with the top five combined reading, math and writing scores are Manheim Township, Warwick, Garden Spot, Hempfield and Lampeter-Strasburg.

"We are very pleased with the increase over last year, but there is definitely room for improvement," Lampeter-Strasburg Superintendent Robert Frick said.

The county's average scores are 508 for reading, 518 for math and 491 for writing.

The county improved in each area: up seven points in reading, eight points in math and seven points in writing.

Each section of the test — reading, math and writing — is worth 800 points.

Pennsylvania's mean scores rose, but little: one point in reading to 494, two points in math to 501 and one point in writing to 483.

Nationwide, the mean scores for college-bound seniors in reading, math and writing were the same as the Class of 2007: 502, 515 and 494, according to results released Tuesday by the College Board, the nonprofit firm that owns the SAT.

Warwick Principal Brian Ginter says he's pleased at his school's 2008 standing.

The ranking stems from the combined efforts of teachers and students, and "it shows on the achievement on the test," he said.

The SAT has long been the prominent test on the East Coast for high school graduates who are college bound. Many colleges consider SAT scores for admission.

So participation rates are also considered a sign of student interest in pursuing post-secondary education.

Locally, participation rates vary.

The two highest rates were Manheim Township's 74 percent and Hempfield's 71 percent.

The rates for the remaining 14 public high schools are:

Ephrata, 67 percent; Conestoga Valley and Warwick, 64 percent; Penn Manor, 63 percent; Elizabethtown, 62 percent; Cocalico and Lampeter-Strasburg, 61 percent; Garden Spot, 60 percent; Donegal, 57 percent; Pequea Valley and Solanco, 52 percent; Manheim Central, 51 percent; McCaskey in Lancaster School District, 37 percent; and Columbia, 32 percent.

The county average participation rate is 58 percent, 13 percentage points lower than the state average of 71 percent.

About 46 percent of college-bound seniors took the SAT in 2008.


Staff writer Robyn Meadows can be reached at rmeadows@LNPnews.com or 481-6025.