We don't test well

As we've seen, we don't do well in international tests. And we haven't done well in our own tests.  For the past five years less than half of those who take the SAT attain scores that indicate they are academically prepared for college-level work.  Those whose scores meet or exceed the criteria were more likely to have completed a core curriculum, to have taken honors or AP courses, and to have taken higher-level mathematics courses, like pre-calculus, calculus, and trigonometry.  I wonder how our high school athletes would compare with students from other lands.