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"Our goal is 24, so we still have work to do, but I'm proud of our kids," he said.
Wood noted that the high school began offering an ACT class last year to help prepare students and he expects to see scores rise as a result.
"We should really start seeing the results of that with the Class of 2010," he said. "We also had more Bright Flight students the year before and that was probably a factor in the score dropping slightly."
According to state and national statistics released by ACT, Missouri's composite ACT score for 2009 is unchanged - 21.6 - for the fifth year in a row. The national average - 21.1 - also is unchanged from 2008.
The ACT is scored on a scale of 1 to 36, with 36 being the highest possible score. The test is the most popular college-entry exam in Missouri and most other Midwestern states.
Superintendent Dr. Lori VanLeer applauded the scores, but agreed with Wood that there's more work to do.
"I think we can hit 24 or 24.5 as an average composite," she said. "I also think it's important for more kids to take the ACT and we had an increase this year so that's great."
A total of 211 WHS students took the test, which is up from 206 in 2008.
Statewide, 46,923 Missouri high school graduates took the ACT exam, which is about 300 fewer than the previous year and represented 67 percent of the Class of 2009.
By comparison, about 5 percent of Missouri graduates take the SAT exam prior to entering college.
The ACT organization is beginning to look beyond the composite ACT score and analyze students' test results to predict college readiness in four academic areas - English composition, algebra, biology and social sciences.
Both nationally and in Missouri, the majority of students do not meet the "college readiness benchmarks" that ACT says can predict whether students will be able to earn at least a "C" in typical, first-year college courses.
WHS students scored above the state average in English, math and reading, and was down just slightly in science.
New Requirements
New high school graduation requirements for Missouri public school students were adopted by the State Board of Education in the fall of 2005. Those standards are in full effect this year and apply to members of the Class of 2010.
State and local school officials are confident the new requirements will contribute to increased college readiness and better ACT scores in the future.
The new minimum standards require all public school students to earn 24 units of credit - including four units of English and three units each in the areas of math, science and social studies. Many students will be required to take additional core academic classes under these standards.
Wood said these requirements should translate into better preparation and better performance. Students who follow the core curriculum will do better on the ACT and could see their score increase by several points, he said.
"This is something we continue to emphasize to parents and students," VanLeer noted.
