Bay Area high school seniors exceeded the state average in math scores on the SAT in the 2017-18 school year.
About 51 percent of seniors statewide met the math benchmark, or 530, on the SAT, according to the College Board and the latest data available from the California Department of Education.
Nearly 73 percent of San Mateo County 12th-graders met the benchmark, the highest percentage in the Bay Area. More than half of students in other counties exceeded the statewide score.
Here’s how the counties rank by the percent of high school seniors meeting the SAT benchmark.1. San Mateo County — 72.70%2. Marin County — 72.26%3. Santa Clara County — 69.94%4. San Francisco — 66.24%5. Sonoma County — 62.11%6. Alameda County — 61.68%7. Contra Costa County — 58.78%8. Solano County — 56.42%9. Napa County — 52.06%[bar color=”Accent-Color” title=”1. San Mateo County” percent=”72.70″][bar color=”Extra-Color-1″ title=”2. Marin County” percent=”72.26″][bar color=”Accent-Color” title=”3. Santa Clara County” percent=”69.94″][bar color=”Extra-Color-1″ title=”4. San Francisco” percent=”66.24″][bar color=”Accent-Color” title=”5. Sonoma County” percent=”62.11″][bar color=”Extra-Color-1″ title=”6. Alameda County” percent=”61.68″][bar color=”Accent-Color” title=”7. Contra Costa County” percent=”58.78″][bar color=”Extra-Color-1″ title=”8. Solano County” percent=”56.42″][bar color=”Accent-Color” title=”9. Napa County” percent=”52.06″]STEM, or a course curriculum focusing on science, technology, engineering and math, has been a big focus in San Mateo County, said Patricia Love, spokeswoman for the county’s Office of Education.
Love said the county maintains a department focused on STEAM, where the “A” stands for arts. The department also provides resources to help teachers teach STEM subjects.
Love said the more math skills students have, the more job opportunities they have.
Source: California Department of Education, San Mateo County Office of Education