St. Charles County high schools' average ACT scores in 2009 were generally higher than the state average, but school officials say they want to see the scores improve.

The ACT exam is a national college admissions test used by many colleges and universities to judge student readiness for college. The exam covers English, math, reading and science and is scored on a scale of 1 to 36, with 36 as the highest score. The average scores for the 2008-2009 test were released Wednesday.

Missouri's average ACT score has remained unchanged over the past several years at 21.6. Scores at most St. Charles County high schools increased this year. They ranged from an average of 21.3 at Fort Zumwalt North and Orchard Farm High Schools to an average of 23.3 for Francis Howell High School students.

"We look forward to getting our ACT scores," said Kim Fitterling, principal at St. Charles West, which had an average ACT score of 23. "You always hold your breath and hope it turns out well."

Schools are trying to encourage as many students as possible to take the exam, which is not required. At Orchard Farm high school, 50 students in a class of 93 took the test - about 54 percent. Orchard Farm principal Brian Smith said that's the largest group yet to take the ACT.

At Orchard Farm, where more and more students are heading straight into the workforce after high school, Smith sees the increased number of ACT test takers as a good sign.

"That's showing us that we do have more kids who are interested in college who are using this as a springboard into secondary education," he said.

The ACT organization this year moved toward analyzing whether students are prepared for college-level course work based on their scores in each test.

The organization released a set of "benchmark scores" for the English, math, reading and science tests. Statewide, only 25 percent of students met all four benchmarks indicating readiness for college courses. While many schools in St. Charles County had average ACT scores that exceeded the benchmarks in English, math and reading, few managed to meet the benchmark score for science.

Travis Bracht, director of student learning for the Francis Howell School District, said this year's senior class is the first to be required to take 24 credits to graduate. Those include additional science, math and English courses.

"With the state graduation requirements, those are now, in essence, forcing kids to take that third science (class), which is a good thing," he said.

Principals also look at students' course history to find out which class experiences lead to higher ACT scores.

John Waters, principal at Holt High School said they are tracking students' results on the test and encouraging them to take the most demanding classes possible.

"The more kids who take rigorous course work, your ACT scores will continue to rise," he said.