A record number of city high-school juniors took the SAT exam last year — with black and Hispanic kids posting the biggest percentage-point gains, according to the Department of Education.
A total of 61,800 juniors sat for the college-entrance test last spring compared with 40,803 in 2016, a 51.5 percent hike, the DOE reported.
SAT test-taking rates rose markedly across all racial demographics, with each posting record-high numbers.
Asian high-school juniors led the way in SAT participation at an 89.4 percent clip — up 16.4 percentage points from 2016.
White juniors were second, with 83 percent taking the exam — a 21.5 percentage-point rise.
Hispanic juniors posted the highest percentage-point gain last year, according to the DOE.
Some 73.6 percent sat for the SAT, a 28.1-point increase.
Some 74.7 percent of black juniors took the exam, a 27.4-point hike over 2016.
Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña and Mayor de Blasio credited initiatives aimed at increasing SAT participation for the soaring figures.
“With more NYC students taking the SAT than ever before, our efforts to eliminate any barriers on any child’s path to college and careers are working,” de Blasio said.
“These results represent important progress and outline real improvements across the five boroughs,” he added.
The duo also touted other hikes in overall city school metrics, including higher graduation rates and improved — but still mediocre — college-readiness rates.
For the first time, the city had students take the SAT during a mandated school day instead of offering it on weekends.
Kids were able to sit for the test without fees, registration hassles or weekend travel to testing sites.
“As the first in my family to go to college, I understand the message that initiatives like SAT School Day and College Awareness Day send to our students — we believe they have the potential to go to college, and we’re going to give them the support and resources to get there,” Fariña said.
The DOE said offering the SAT during a regular school day improved participation across the board but was particularly beneficial to minority students.
Rather than present the critical exam as an extracurricular pursuit, the school-day SAT exam heightened inclusivity.
SAT scores among juniors rose last year but officials did not draw direct comparisons to 2016 because the test format fundamentally changed.