October 22, 2019

Dripping Springs High School students recorded strong scores on college-entrance exams taken last spring, with results being significantly higher than state and national averages.

On the ACT, DSHS students recorded an average composite score of 24.7, which is 20.5 percent higher than the Texas average (20.5) and 18.8 percent better than the national average (20.8). The breakdown by subject for DSHS was: English-24.2, Math-24.4, Reading-25.6, and Science-24.2. In 2019, 251 out of 442 graduates – or 57 percent of seniors – took the ACT.

The percentage of Dripping Springs High School seniors taking the ACT who were categorized as “College Ready” in all four academic areas (English, Algebra, Social Science, Biology) was 53 percent, which was more than double the college readiness marks for Texas (25 percent). College readiness also was determined by subject area; for DSHS those figures were 90 percent for English Composition, 75 percent for Algebra, 76 percent for Social Science, and 62 percent for Biology. When comparing single-subject college readiness marks, all of Dripping Springs’ percentages were significantly higher than state average.


Dripping Springs students enjoyed similar success on the SAT exam, posting an average composite score of 1214 (Math-607, Writing/Reading-607). The DSHS average score was 14.6 percent higher than the national average (1059) and 18.8 percent higher when compared with state-level peers (1022 average). In 2019, 321 out of 442 Dripping Springs seniors – or 72 percent – took the SAT.