Students at St. Aloysius High School who took the ACT college entrance exam outpaced state and national scores for the 2010-2011 school year, data released this week shows.

The public school district scored lower than the national and state averages, and saw declines in all four subject areas — English, math, reading and science.

All students assessed were seniors.

The state’s average score was 18.7 and the national, 21.1. The highest one can score on the ACT is 36. The state’s average score in 2009-2010 was 18.8 and the national, 21.

The 39 students tested at St. Al, a parochial school, scored an average of 21.9, the same as the previous year.

The 342 seniors tested in the Vicksburg Warren School District scored an average of 18.1, down from 18.6 the previous year. The 8,500-student public district has two high schools, Warren Central and Vicksburg High, for which a breakdown was not available.

Scores for Porters Chapel Academy had been delivered to the private school, headmaster Doug Branning said today, but had not been reviewed. The ACT’s Mississippi contact this morning said the agency cannot release individual schools’ scores.

PCA students tested during the 2009-2010 academic year outpaced the state average, 19.5 to 18.8.

A breakdown of the individual subject areas showed:

• St. Al improved in English, from 23.3 to 23.4, and reading, from 22.1 to 22.7; declined in math, 20.5 to 19.9; and stayed the same in science, 21.3.

• VWSD declined in all — English, from 18.2 to 17.8; reading, 18.7 to 18; math, 18.2 to 17.7; and science, 18.7 to 18.2.

The national English score was 20.6; the state, 18.6. The national reading score was 21.3; the state, 18.8. The national math score was 21.1; the state, 18.2. The national science score was 20.9; the state, 18.7.

The ACT sets benchmarks for the subject areas: English, 18; reading, 21; math, 22; and science 24. The benchmarks determine if a student is ready for college. It’s up to colleges and universities to decide what scores are acceptable for admission. High-scoring students are typically offered scholarships.

In Mississippi, 10 percent of those tested met all four benchmark scores, the lowest in the country. Massachusetts had the highest with 43 percent. The national average is 25 percent.

“I’m proud of the fact that we have higher scores than the state and higher scores than the national averages, but at the same time we’re not going to be satisfied with that,” said Michele Connelly, principal of St. Al since 2005 and a guidance counselor for six years before. “We’re always going to continue to work toward improving our schools.”

Dr. Elizabeth Duran Swinford, superintendent of the VWSD, said she was “puzzled” by the district’s declines because students have made gains in Subject Area Tests, given annually at the state’s public high schools.

“We’re above the state average in math on the Subject Area Test, and to drop from 18.2 to 17.7 was kind of amazing to us,” said Swinford, who is in her second year leading the district.

Swinford attributed the decline to limited attention.

“Our focus this year wasn’t on improving ACT scores,” she said. “Our focus was on teaching curriculum, learning curriculum and passing the Subject Area Tests. I have to get the kids graduated before I think about getting them into colleges. If they don’t pass the Subject Area Tests, it doesn’t matter what they do on the ACT.”

The ACT was first administered in 1959. Students may begin taking it at any age, and can repeat it as many times as they want. The content tests knowledge gained in grades seven through 12. The cost is $34, plus extra fees for extra services.

Swinford said seventh-graders in the VWSD in the spring will be offered a smaller, practice version of the ACT, which costs $8.50. The district will pay the fee, she said.

The Mississippi Department of Education has its own method of assessing student knowledge — the Subject Area Tests for high-schoolers and MCT2 exams for third- through eighth-graders. The MDE for years had rated school districts on a Level 1 through 5 system, 1 being the worst and 5 the best.

Starting with the 2008-2009 academic year, the state began using a seven-part scale — “Star School,” “High Performing,” “Successful,” “Academic Watch,” “Low Performing,” “At Risk of Failing” and “Failing.”

The VWSD was rated “At Risk of Failing” for two years and moved up two notches this year to “Academic Watch.”