Students at Bishop LeBlond High School continue to lead the state and national averages, even though this year’s average ACT test score was down from last year’s record high.

In a news release, officials said LeBlond’s class of 2016 earned an average ACT composite score of 22.3. That’s down 1.5 points from the school’s record high in 2015. LeBlond’s 22.3 compares to the 2016 Missouri composite average of 20.2 and the national average of 20.8, both of which were down from the year before.

LeBlond’s senior class average is at the 61st percentile nationally. This means for every 100 students taking the test, the average LeBlond student would score better than 61 of them.

LeBlond principal Jeff Sullivan said 80 percent of this year’s class scored at or above the college readiness score for English composition. The ACT College Readiness Benchmark is the score at which ACT officials say means students would have a 50 percent chance of earning a “B” or higher in college English composition.

Students at LeBlond can earn Advanced Placement or dual credit through English, math, science and social studies courses. Sullivan said the results continue to show that students who take the most rigorous courses at LeBlond will be best prepared for college.

“With 100 percent of the class of 2016 enrolling in college we really encouraged them to take the most challenging courses. We know that with the right preparation they will do better in college and be more likely to graduate within four or five years.”

Sullivan said the ACT scores indicate that for those students who took the most challenging courses, the top 25 percent of the class, the hard work paid off as they earned an average ACT of 27.9, placing them at the 91st percentile nationally.