ACT scores increase in St. Charles District 303

High schools in St. Charles Unit District 303 continued an uptick in ACT scores thanks to some of the highest ever scores posted by the class of 2010.

New numbers show St. Charles North students posted an overall average score of 23.7, just nudging out their crosstown peers at St. Charles East, who posted an overall average of 23.5.

St. Charles North High School's average score is the highest in school history. The 23.7 mark was bolstered by an average score of 24.6 on the math portion of the ACT. That's the highest math score in the history of the district. North also saw its scores increase in reading and science, and had a student, Joseph Adamczyk, post a perfect ACT score of 36.

St. Charles East High School saw improvements in math, science, reading and English scores.

Both schools have seen ACT score improvements on a steady rise since 2006. North's scores are up 5 percent since 2006. East's scores are up 6 percent over that same time frame. Statewide, ACT scores have risen 1 percent since 2006.

The district's success may be attributable, in part, to increased enrollment in Advanced Placement classes. More than twice as many high school students took AP classes in the 2009-10 school year as students in the 2005-06 school year. More students in the district are also passing the AP exams than ever before. Three years of growth in AP participation in the district saw 71 percent of AP students pass the AP exams in the 2009-10 school year.