Princeton Falls Behind in SAT Scores; Montgomery Climbs to Number Two

Candace Braun

While Princeton High School can boast a high number of students attending Ivy League schools and a large number of well paid, experienced, teachers, the school still fell in the state ranks in SAT scores. The school was number three in the state for the 2002-03 school year, with an average score of 1215, according to the recently published New Jersey State Report Cards.

Montgomery Township High School placed second in the state, sailing ahead with an average score of 1220, which is 64 points higher than the previous year's average in the district.

Milburn High School, which had an average SAT score of 1229, placed first in the state.

A higher number of students attending college and a lower faculty salary average than Princeton were also boasts for the Montgomery District for the 2002-03 year.

James Misek, principal at Montgomery Township High School, said he is very proud of what his students have accomplished and feels their SAT scores are a direct reflection of the students' drive to achieve success.

"It's wonderful, we couldn't be more excited about it," he said. "Our kids are academic-minded and work hard and they're proud of that."

Mr. Misek said that students at his school are as devoted to their studies and the afterschool SAT prep classes they offer as they are to school athletics.

The principal said that much of the SAT preparation students receive is thanks to Larry Krieger, social studies supervisor for the high school.

Mr. Krieger has been running an SAT prep course for several years at the school, holding afterschool sessions with seniors at the beginning of the school year, then working with juniors later in the year when most seniors have already taken the test. Classes are held several times a week, with longer, more involved prep classes the week before an SAT test takes place, said Hillary Charney, guidance supervisor at Montgomery High School.

Students come on a volunteer basis, said Mr. Misek, and many take advantage of the classes that are offered.

"[Mr. Krieger] is providing a service to the kids," said the principal, "all they have to do is show up."

In addition, students are given an SAT word each day during the school day, which is announced over loud speakers and broadcast on the school's TV station. This is done to help increase students' vocabulary for the exams, said Ms. Charney.

Princeton's Goals

To some it may appear that Princeton is slipping down the ranks, as it held the highest SAT scores in the state in 1998-1999 and 2000-2001. However Princeton is still high above the state average of 1018, and five points higher than its own average for the 2001-2002 school year.

Princeton's number one priority is not its SAT scores, but rather the overall education of all students, said Lew Goldstein, Princeton's assistant superintendent for human resources, public information, and community relations.

"What we're looking to do is find ways to increase the performance of all our students...and close the minority achievement gap," he said.

Mr. Goldstein said that Princeton's main focus at the moment is to bring the minorities in the district up to a higher level of learning. This fall, the district will be hosting a Minority Student Achievement Network (MSAN) conference for students nationwide here in Princeton.

"We see other areas where we're really improving," said Mr. Goldstein. "I think we're going to continue doing what we're doing and do it better every year."

In addition, other numbers are still up in the Princeton schools, he said. During the 2003-03 school year, 624 students took advanced placement (AP) exams, and 579 passed, said Mr. Goldstein.

Gary Snyder, principal at Princeton High School, did not return phone calls made by Town Topics.

Comparing Numbers

Other numbers appeared to be down in Princeton this year, as well. According to the New Jersey State Report Card, 75 percent of Princeton High seniors last year were bound for four-year colleges or universities, while 11 percent were bound for two-year schools. The number of students attending four-year schools dropped four percentage points from the year before.

In Montgomery, last year 85.7 percent of students were bound for four-year schools, which dropped from 89 percent the year before, but was still above Princeton by over 10 points. An additional 7.8 percent of students were bound for two-year schools, compared to six percent the previous year.

However when reviewing the postgraduate schools that each district's students are attending, there is a noticeable difference that leans in favor of Princeton. While the largest number of students of both schools attend Rutgers University, Princeton far exceeds Montgomery on the number of students who attend Ivy League schools.

In reviewing a list of colleges and universities that students have attended in the years 2000 through 2003, a total of 48 Princeton students attended Princeton University, compared to three students from Montgomery. In addition, 14 students from Princeton attended the University of Pennsylvania, compared to eight students from Montgomery. Ten students from Princeton attended Yale University, while one student from Montgomery attended the school.

Statistics from 2000 were unavailable from Montgomery, so these numbers only reflect the years 2001 through 2003 for the district.

Faculty salaries in the two districts were also up from the previous year, however Montgomery's salaries were below the state average, while Princeton's were above. The average salary of administrators in Montgomery was $93,296, compared to $103,298 for Princeton administrators. District faculty in Montgomery also received salaries of $43,618, compared to $53,124 in Princeton.

The amount of experience most faculty members had was significantly higher in Princeton, with an average of 25 years of experiences at the high school, compared to 16 years at Montgomery High.

The New Jersey School Report Card, which was mandated by the state in 1995, was created to increase public awareness of the effectiveness of schools. The report is available in its entirety on each school district's website.