August 14, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Redmond, Wash. – While national mean scores for college-bound seniors dipped in 2008, Lake Washington School District (LWSD) students scored higher on all four ACT tests (English, Mathematics, Reading and Science). The district’s average composite score was 24.9, compared to the state average of 23.1, the same as in 2007, and the national average of 21.1, down from 21.2 in 2007. At the same time, the number of LWSD students taking the test increased slightly, from 374 in 2007 to 393 in 2008.

Average scores for Lake Washington students rose two tenths of a point on both English and Mathematics, to 24.6 in English and 24.8 in Math. State scores in those two areas averaged 22.7 for English and 23.2 in Math.

Reading scores showed a larger gain, from a 24.9 average in 2007 to 25.3 in 2008. That score compares to 23.7 in both years for the state average, and a national average of 21.4.

LWSD scores in science also rose, from 23.9 in 2007 to 24.3 in 2008. State scores actually dropped on average, from 22.6 to 22.4, as did the national average, which fell from 21.0 in 2007 to 20.8 in 2008.

For more information on the ACT test itself and on national results, go to www.act.org/news/releases/2008/crr.html.

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About Lake Washington: Lake Washington School District is a high-performing public school district serving Kirkland, Redmond, and Sammamish, Washington. It is the sixth largest district in the state of Washington, with over 23,000 students in 50 schools.