By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

ACT scores among Iowa high schoolers who took the test dropped slightly from a year ago and far fewer students are taking the test.

The average ACT composite score for seniors who graduated from an Iowa high school last spring was 20.8. That compares to a score of 22 for the 2014 graduating class in Iowa.

Nine years ago, 68% of high school seniors in Iowa took the ACT. Just under half took it this past year. Iowa, Iowa State and UNI no longer require students applying for admission to take the ACT.