The American College Testing program released its Condition of College and Career Readiness 2019 findings for each state on Wednesday, with Oxford and Lafayette placing in the top half of Mississippi school districts.

The findings are based on the ACT scores by the 2019 graduating class. Mississippi had 36,438 graduating seniors (an estimated 100 percent) take the ACT, and had an average score of 18.4 out of a potential perfect score of 36. The average dropped .6 from the 2015 average of 19.0, when 29,345 graduating seniors took the exam.

Oxford and Lafayette’s graduating seniors each had an ACT score average above the state’s average.

Oxford School District had 287 students take the ACT in 2019, which was down from 304 students in 2018. Their ACT average was their highest in the last five years, with a score of 22.6, surpassing the district’s 22.4 average in 2017.

Of the four tested subject areas, Oxford finished above the state average in each, with average scores of 23.1 in English, 21.7 in Mathematics, 23.0 in Reading and 21.9 in Science.

“We are certainly happy with our overall composite average of 22.6, our highest in the last five years and perhaps ever,” OSD superintendent Brian Harvey said. “We are proud of the work of our students and teachers who work so hard in preparation for this exam.”

Lafayette’s average ACT score was 18.7, and no further information was provided. School superintendent Dr. Adam Pugh said the district always searching for ways to improve upon the previous year’s scores.

“We have added ACT Prep elective courses and will increase our offerings in the coming years,” Pugh said. “We will cover College and Career Readiness in the 2020-2021 school year.”

When it comes to the ACT College and Readiness Benchmarks, Mississippi finished well below the national average. The state came in at 12 percent, while the national percentage was 26. The benchmarks are scores on the ACT subject area tests, which represent the level of achievement required for students to have a 50-percent chance of obtaining a B or higher, or about a 75-percent chance of obtaining a C or higher in corresponding credit-bearing first-year college courses.