Oxnard’s SAT Scores Climb by 35 Points

Three more Ventura County high schools received their SAT scores this week, including Oxnard High, which registered a 35-point increase over last year.

Each year thousands of college-bound students take the Scholastic Assessment Tests, which universities use as an entrance requirement and a predictor of academic success. Most county schools had their scores by Tuesday, but officials at Oxnard, Hueneme and Camarillo high schools did not receive theirs until Wednesday.

Oxnard High students averaged 507 on the verbal portion of the test and 502 on the math portion, for a combined total of 1009 out of a possible 1600.

Students at Hueneme High, meanwhile, slipped by three points this year, with an average score of 975. They scored 489 in verbal and 486 in math.

Camarillo High improved by four points this year with an average score of 1088, including 538 in verbal and 550 in math.

Camarillo students eclipsed the countywide average score of 1061, as did their peers at Thousand Oaks High, who averaged a combined score of 1118--making them the highest-scoring group in the county.

Overall, county students averaged 523 in verbal and 538 in math, which marked a fifth consecutive year of improvement. They outscored their peers across the state by 48 points and the nation by 44 points.

Ventura County educators have described the gain as an important one, noting that the county’s scores are rising faster than the state and national levels. Increasing numbers of county students enrolling in core academic, advanced placement and honors courses are all factors that may account for higher scores on college admissions tests, one official noted.