By PAT NEWMAN
pnewman@thecitizennews.com

Fayette County schools exceeded the state averages on the graduation test administered to high school juniors this year in every subject area.

A compilation of the scores recorded for Fayette, McIntosh, Sandy Creek, Starr's Mill and the evening high schools showed that 99 percent of the schools' 11th graders passed the graduation test in language arts on the first try, 99 percent passed the math portion, 91 percent passed the science section, 96 percent passed social studies and 98 percent passed the writing test.

The range between the state results and Fayette County is between four and 18 percentage points.

A summary of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills scores showed that Braelinn Elementary ranked first among the district's 13 elementary schools based on the test administered to third and fifth graders in reading, math, science and social studies. Rising Starr's eighth graders ranked first, based on the ITBS scores among the district's five middle schools.

North Fayette Elementary was between 28 and 48 percentile points behind Braelinn in third grade and between 18 and 20 points behind in fifth grade. Flat Rock Middle School's eighth grade fell between five and 13 percentage points behind Rising Starr.

The scores reflect the percentile level at which students perform, compared to the national average.