Hawai'i's high school class of 2006 scored the same on the ACT college entrance exam as the previous year's class, results released yesterday show.

Students who graduated from Hawai'i high schools last spring got an average composite score of 21.9 on the test, the same as the Class of 2005.

The national average composite score was 21.1 — 0.08 point below Hawai'i's average. State averages ranged from 18.8 (Mississippi) to 23.1 (Connecticut).

Hawai'i's college-bound public and private school students have exceeded the national average on the composite score and all four subtests every year since 2001, according to the state Department of Education.

Only 17 percent of Hawai'i's graduating seniors, or 2,260 students, took the test in 2006. That's a slightly higher share than the 16 percent who took the exam the year before.

Hawai'i students applying to college are more likely to take the SAT exam. Most colleges accept either the SAT or ACT when considering an application.

SAT results for the class of 2006 will be released later this month.

Nationally, 40 percent of graduating seniors took the ACT exam.

Hawai'i's ACT English scores rose slightly to 21.2 from 21.0 the year before. Hawai'i's ACT mathematics and reading scores were flat, while its science scores fell slightly.