What Is a Good SSAT Upper Level Score? A Percentile Guide

“What score does my child need?” is one of the first questions families ask about the SSAT. And the honest answer is: it depends on where they’re applying. A score that gets a student into one school may not be competitive at another. The more useful question is: what percentile range does my target school typically look for?

Here’s a clear breakdown of what the research and admissions data show, tier by tier.

The short answer: Most private and boarding schools want students above the 50th percentile. Mid-tier boarding schools typically look for the 75th–85th percentile. Top boarding schools like Deerfield, Choate, and Hotchkiss report averages around the 85th percentile. The most elite schools — Phillips Andover and Phillips Exeter — report averages at the 93rd–94th percentile. Knowing your target school’s range is the single most important factor in setting a prep goal.

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One Important Thing to Understand About SSAT Percentiles

Before looking at the numbers, there’s a key point worth knowing. SSAT percentiles compare your student against other SSAT test-takers, not against the general student population. The students who sit for the SSAT are already a self-selected, academically motivated group — families researching private school admissions, investing in prep, and applying to competitive schools. This means the 50th percentile on the SSAT is not the same as being “average” overall. It means your student is in the middle of a pool of already strong students.

This is also why percentile scores are more meaningful to admissions offices than scaled scores. A scaled score of 1900 might represent very different percentiles depending on the year and grade level, because percentiles shift based on who else took the test. Admissions offices have historically relied more on percentile ranks than scaled scores for exactly this reason. (scribd)

SSAT Score Targets by School Tier

The Most Selective Schools: 90th–94th Percentile

At the very top of the boarding school hierarchy, score expectations are the highest in the country. Phillips Academy Andover and Phillips Exeter Academy both report average SSAT scores at the 94th percentile, with Groton School and Milton Academy at 90th percentile. (alibris)

These schools don’t publish a hard minimum — admissions is holistic and no single factor is determinative. But the averages speak for themselves. A student applying to Andover or Exeter with a score below the 85th percentile is working against significant odds and will need to make an unusually strong case in the rest of their application.

Examples: Phillips Academy Andover, Phillips Exeter Academy, Groton School, Milton Academy

Top Boarding Schools: 85th–90th Percentile

St. Paul’s School reports an average at the 89th percentile, Middlesex School at 88th, and Deerfield Academy at 87th. Cate School, Choate Rosemary Hall, The Hotchkiss School, and The Lawrenceville School all report averages around the 85th percentile. (alibris)

The 85th percentile is a meaningful threshold. It’s roughly where the majority of top boarding school admissions begin to look competitive. Students in this range are still applying to selective schools with significant academic expectations. A score below 80 will raise questions that need to be answered by other parts of the application.

Examples: Deerfield Academy, Choate Rosemary Hall, The Hotchkiss School, The Lawrenceville School, St. Paul’s School

Mid-Tier Private and Boarding Schools: 70th–80th Percentile

Below the most well-known boarding schools, there is a wide range of excellent private and boarding schools where the 70th–80th percentile is genuinely competitive. These schools still have high academic standards and strong outcomes. They simply have a broader applicant pool and more flexibility in how they weigh test scores against other factors.

Examples: Tabor Academy, Cushing Academy, Miss Porter’s School, Westover School, Pomfret School

Broader Private Schools: Above the 50th Percentile

The vast majority of private schools — and there are tens of thousands — are looking for students above the 50th percentile. This doesn’t mean the 51st percentile is the target. It means that falling below the 50th percentile is likely to be a meaningful obstacle at almost any private school that uses the SSAT in admissions.

For schools in this range, the SSAT score is one factor among many. Strong grades, recommendations, and interviews can carry significant weight alongside a moderate test score.

Math vs. Overall Percentile: Does It Matter?

Most schools look at the overall (composite) percentile as the primary number, but section scores are visible on every score report and admissions officers review them. A significant gap between math and verbal — for example, a 90th percentile verbal and 50th percentile math — will be noticed and may raise questions, particularly for STEM-oriented programs or schools with strong math curricula.

The practical implication: don’t neglect the math section even if your student is a strong verbal performer. For students who are math-weak, the math section is often where the most percentile improvement is available — which is precisely why targeted math prep can move the overall score meaningfully.

What Percentile Improvement Is Realistic With Prep?

This is the question every family wants answered, and the honest answer is that it genuinely varies. Because SSAT percentiles are calculated against a rolling three-year norm group of other test-takers, the same scaled score improvement can represent very different percentile jumps depending on where a student starts.

What experienced tutors consistently observe: students who begin with gaps in the tested content — missing topics, weak mental math, no familiarity with test strategy — have the most room to improve, because there’s specific, addressable material to work on. A student who works through all 18 chapters of Hacking the SSAT Upper Level Math — covering every tested topic with strategies and 1,800+ practice problems — is building a comprehensive foundation that didn’t exist before. For a motivated student starting from a significant gap, meaningful percentile improvement is achievable. For a student who is already well-prepared and close to their ceiling, the gains will be smaller.

The most important variable, in Kelly Campbell’s experience across 25+ years of tutoring: how much the student works independently between sessions. Students who treat the chapters as active study material — not just practice problems during tutoring — see dramatically better results than students who only work during sessions.

How to Find Your Target School’s Score Expectations

Many schools don’t publish a specific percentile requirement. The best sources:

The school’s admissions page — some schools publish average scores or general guidance
The Common Data Set — many schools publish this annually and it includes test score data for admitted students
Calling the admissions office directly — most admissions staff will give you a genuine answer if you ask what scores are typical for admitted students
Third-party school databases like Niche.com and BoardingSchoolReview.com often aggregate score data

Once you have a target percentile, work backwards: how far is your student from that target, and how much prep time is realistic? For guidance on building that plan, see the SSAT Study Plan and How Long Does SSAT Math Prep Actually Take.

If you’d like to figure out a realistic target and prep plan for your specific student, book a free 60-minute trial session — the first session is a diagnostic that maps out exactly where your student stands and what’s achievable in your timeline.

Frequently Asked Questions: SSAT Upper Level Scores and Percentiles

What is a good SSAT upper level score for boarding school admissions?

It depends on the school. For the most selective boarding schools like Andover and Exeter, the average admitted student scores around the 93rd–94th percentile. For well-known top boarding schools like Deerfield, Choate, and Hotchkiss, the 85th percentile is a meaningful threshold. For mid-tier private and boarding schools, the 70th–80th percentile is competitive. For most private schools, above the 50th percentile is the basic expectation.

Is the 50th percentile on the SSAT a bad score?

No — but context matters. The 50th percentile on the SSAT means your student outperformed half of the other students who sat for that test. Since SSAT test-takers are already a motivated, academically oriented group, the 50th percentile is not a weak performance in absolute terms. For many private schools outside the most selective tier, a score at or above the 50th percentile is a genuinely acceptable result — especially when combined with strong grades and recommendations.

Does the SSAT math score matter separately from the overall score?

Schools receive section-by-section scores and admissions officers review them. While the overall percentile is the primary number, a significant weakness in one section — particularly math — will be visible and may factor into the decision, especially at schools with rigorous math programs. Students with low math scores relative to their verbal scores should prioritize math prep to bring the sections into balance.

How is the SSAT percentile calculated?

Your SSAT percentile compares your score against all other students in your grade who took the test for the first time on a standard test date over the previous three years. It’s not the percentage of questions answered correctly — it’s a ranking against other test-takers. Because SSAT test-takers are a self-selected high-achieving group, the percentile curve is compressed at the top and the difference between, say, the 85th and 95th percentile can represent a relatively small number of additional correct answers.