[KHTS] – Three Hart district high schools are ahead of the state average for Advanced Placement test scores, one is right on par and two are below, according to the most recent statistics for the Santa Clarita Valley available on the state’s website.

The Hart district’s districtwide figure for the number of students passing with a score of 3,4 or 5, which is the scoring range necessary to receive college credit for the courses, is on par with the state average.

Advanced Placement, or AP tests, are administered by the College Board, the testing company also responsible for the SAT, and offered at the end of the year to students who complete AP courses.

The tests are scored on a scale of 1-5, with a score of 3 or higher qualifying a student for college credits in the subject for which they test at most universities.

Some colleges will only accept a 4 or a 5; however, the UC and CSU system accepts a 3, according to their respective websites.

Based on the latest districtwide figures available, 4,935 Santa Clarita Valley public high school students took 6,118 exams in the 2012-13 school year, and there were 3,788 passing scores (3 or higher) among 3,443 students.

There are approximately 22,000 students in the William S. Hart Union High School District, which encompasses all of the Santa Clarita Valley’s public high schools.

The William S. Hart Union High School District offers 27 of the 34 AP exams available, according to College Board statistics shared by district officials.

Based on 2011-12 scores, which are the most recent available on the state’s Department of Education website where they are broken down by school, Saugus High has the highest passing rate, with 73.7 percent of students earning at least a 3.Valencia High came in a close second, with 73.5 percent passing. Hart High had 65.9 percent of students pass; West Ranchhad 58 percent of students pass; Canyon High had 53.6 percent of test-takers earn a qualifying score; and Golden Valleynotched a 49.1 percent passing rate.

On the whole, Hart district students garner a passing rate of about 63 percent in 2011-12, which dipped slightly to 61 percent in 2012-13.

In comparison, the state average shows that 58.9 percent of test-takers earn qualifying scores in 2011-12, a figure that’s around 63 percent in 2012-13. Countywide, that figure is 53 percent in Los Angeles. The LAUSD passing rate is 42.7 percent.