Summit High School jumped 15 points to a 1,273 composite SAT average in 2024-25, earning the No. 27 spot among all 417 New Jersey high schools ranked by nj.com. In neighboring Berkeley Heights, Governor Livingston fell 43 points to 1,146 (No. 100 statewide), its lowest score in at least six years.
The data, published Aug. 10 by NJ21st, covers all five Summit-area high schools and arrives as more colleges return to test-mandated admissions after a pandemic-era pause.
The local scoreboard
Summit's gains came on both sides of the test: math rose 4 points to 635, and evidence-based reading and writing climbed 11 points to 638. The Hilltoppers now rank in the top 10 percent statewide alongside Chatham and New Providence.
New Providence posted the biggest local jump, surging 43 points to 1,246 (No. 35 statewide). Chatham gained 13 points to 1,259 (No. 31). Madison dipped 24 points to 1,217 but held at No. 48. All five schools remain in the top quartile of the state's 417 ranked schools.
Governor Livingston's slide
Governor Livingston's decline is the sharpest story in the data. The Highlanders' math average dropped 22 points to 565, and reading/writing fell 21 points to 581. Both marks are the lowest in the six-year trend window dating to 2018-19, when the school posted 602 in each section. The math score has now fallen in consecutive years, dropping 47 points from a 2022-23 peak of 612.
The 2024-25 results reflect the final full school year under longtime principal Robert Nixon, who left in December 2025 to lead Millburn High School. Nixon told TAPinto in December 2025 that GL's SAT scores had risen roughly 80 points over his tenure. New principal Margaret Berry took over in January 2026.
What it means for families
The timing matters. With selective colleges increasingly requiring test scores again, the SAT carries more weight for Summit-area juniors and seniors heading into the 2026-27 application cycle. Students at Governor Livingston, which draws from both Berkeley Heights and Mountainside, face that shift with scores trending in the wrong direction. No school officials from any of the five districts have publicly commented on the new data.
Governor Livingston enters its first full school year under Berry with both math and reading scores at six-year lows.
