The average SAT score for the class of 2026 was 1045 out of 1600: 528 in Reading and Writing and 517 in Math, across 1,954,833 students, according to College Board's 2026 annual report. That single figure mixes very different groups, though. Students who took the SAT only on a weekend averaged 1179, while those who took it only through SAT School Day averaged 909, so the average that matters depends on who you are comparing yourself with.
All the figures below come from College Board's SAT Suite annual report for the class of 2026, available as of October 2026. College Board publishes a new report for each graduating class, and it cautions against comparing some of its figures with earlier reports, so treat the numbers as a picture of one class rather than a trend.
The class of 2026 averages
| Group | Students | Total | Reading and Writing | Math |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All test takers | 1,954,833 | 1045 | 528 | 517 |
| Weekend only | 692,135 | 1179 | 585 | 594 |
| SAT School Day only | 968,119 | 909 | 467 | 442 |
| School Day and a weekend test | 294,579 | 1179 | 594 | 585 |
College Board counts each student once, using their most recent score. College Board notes that, because of rounding, section averages may not always add up exactly to the total.
Why the averages differ so much
SAT School Day lets students take the SAT in their own school on a weekday, provided by their state, district or school, and in several states the SAT is given to all students in 11th grade as part of state testing. School Day groups therefore include whole year groups, not only students who chose to register. Weekend-only test takers sat the SAT only on national test dates, which students register for individually. In the class of 2026, 65% of test takers sat the SAT at least once through School Day.
If you are applying to colleges and registering for a weekend date yourself, the weekend average of 1179 is a closer reference point than the overall 1045. It is still the average of a broad population, though, not a target.
How scores are spread
| Total score band | Share of the class of 2026 |
|---|---|
| 1400–1600 | 9% |
| 1200–1390 | 19% |
| 1000–1190 | 28% |
| 800–990 | 29% |
| 600–790 | 13% |
| 400–590 | 2% |
More than half of the class scored between 800 and 1190. At the very top, 691 students, about 0.04% of the class, scored a perfect 1600.
The average and the college readiness benchmarks
The report also measures the class against College Board's College and Career Readiness Benchmarks. Each benchmark is the section score associated with a 75% chance of earning at least a C in a first-semester, credit-bearing college course: algebra, statistics, precalculus or calculus for Math, and history, literature, social science or writing for Reading and Writing. In the class of 2026, 42% of test takers met both benchmarks and 69% met at least one. The benchmarks are a different yardstick from the average: they ask whether a score signals readiness for college coursework, not where it sits in the crowd.
The average or your percentile?
Your own score report puts your result in context in a slightly different way. For each score, the official score report shows an All Tester Percentile (the share of a comparison group that scored at or below you) and the average score of all testers. Both rest on the last three years of SAT takers rather than one graduating class, so the average printed on your report will not match the class of 2026 figure exactly. Signed in to College Board's online score portal, you can also see your percentile among test takers in your own country. College Board's page on what SAT scores mean describes each part of the report.
For most decisions the percentile is the more useful number. It tells you where you stand among other test takers, while an average only marks the middle of a very mixed group.
What about the average at a particular college?
Searches for the "average SAT score" at Harvard, MIT or Princeton ask a different question: what scores do the students admitted to that college have? A national report cannot answer it. Colleges publish their own figures, often as the range covering the middle half of admitted or enrolled students, on their admissions pages or in their class profile. Compare your score with that range, college by college, and check whether the college requires a score at all.
Reading a practice score against the average
If your score comes from a practice test, read it as a range rather than a point. College Board itself reports a score range around each official score, derived from the standard error of measurement, because a student's ability is better described by a range than by a single number. A practice result a few dozen points either side of 1045 puts you around the national average; it does not place you precisely above or below it. Our guide to what a practice test score can and cannot tell you explains why, and how the digital SAT is scored covers what sits behind the 400–1600 scale.
The Studeous SAT practice tests report your result as exactly that kind of band on the 400–1600 scale, and the free full-length test needs only a free account.