It’s great news to start the school year.

Lawrence’s two public high schools both improved their ACT composite scores last year and remain more than a full point above state and national test averages.

The district also learned that a Lawrence High School senior, Stephanie Drahozal, scored a perfect 36 composite on the test.

Overall, the 287 LHS students who took the test last year improved their score by one-tenth of a point and averaged a 23, which was the highest score since 23.2 in 2003-04.

Free State kept its slight edge.

Its 266 students scored 23.4, up from 23 last year, and the highest since 24.2 in 2003-04. The state average is 21.9 and nationally it’s 21.2.

“That’s a morale boost. It’s a satisfaction that knowing that things went well for those particular kids,” Free State Principal Joe Snyder said.

Snyder and LHS Principal Steve Nilhas credited teachers at all grade levels and said the ACT fits in with the district’s mission of helping prepare students for college. Nilhas also said he was encouraged that 60 more LHS students took the ACT than the previous year.

“The bottom line is, more kids are taking the test and are doing better, and that’s a good thing,” he said.

Here are each school’s composite average scores in subject areas:

¢ Free State: 23.4 English; 22.5 math; 24.3 reading; 22.9 science.

¢ LHS: 22.8 English; 22.6 math; 23.7 reading; 22.5 science.

Nationally, the modest increase in scores extended the test’s upward scoring trend and showed improved levels of preparation for college. Forty-three percent who took the ACT math exam met the test’s benchmark for college readiness, up from 40 percent a year ago. In science, the figure was 28 percent, up from 26 percent last year. The percentage that met the benchmark in all four subjects rose from 21 percent to 23 percent.