Dawson County High School saw a slight decrease in average SAT, or Scholastic Aptitude Test, scores which were released recently.

Average scores on the college entrance exam were down 12 points from last year, according to Superintendent Keith Porter.

With an average score of 1,446, local students fared better than the state average of 1,442. A perfect score is 2,400.

The statewide average for public, private and home-schooled students dropped seven points from last year.

State scores were less than the national average of 1,497.

Porter said out of the 14 school systems in the Pioneer Regional Educational Service Agency, Dawson County schools had the sixth highest score.

Porter said an increase in advanced placement class participation rates could boost SAT scores in the future.

“We’re going to really work at making sure we advise these kids to take the courses that will make them more successful on tests,” Porter said.

The ultimate goal, he said, is collegiate success.

“When kids finish high school at Dawson County, we want them to be able to be admitted at the college of their choice,” he said.

Added Porter: “We want to make sure we have offered them an academic program that prepares them not only to get into that college, but to succeed once they get there.”

According to the College Board, the SAT is “designed to assess academic readiness for college. The exams provide a path to opportunities, financial support and scholarships, in a way that’s fair to all students.”