In Johnston County, high school seniors saw their scores on the SAT dip slightly this year, and fewer students took the college-entrance exam at all.

The average SAT score in Johnston fell three points this year. But despite of the drop, Johnston's combined math and reading score of 1,016 was in line with the national average and topped the statewide score by 10 points.

Keith Beamon, chief academic officer for Johnston County schools, said he wasn't worried about the three-point fall-off. "We're taking it as just kind of a blip," he said.

Scores dropped in four of the county's seven high schools, according to the College Board, the nonprofit group that administers the SAT.

Princeton High School did the best, with a combined math and reading score of 1,064. Clayton High did the second best with 1,042.

Smithfield-Selma High School had the lowest score -- 953. Michael Taylor, principal at SSS, said the school is focusing on a prep course for students who plan to take the test.

And SSS leaders are encouraging students who might not do well on the SAT to opt for the ACT college-entrance test instead, Taylor said. "We're pretty confident we're moving in the right direction in terms of including all students," he said.

Princeton High made the biggest gain over last year. This year, students scored 63 points higher than those in 2008. North Johnston's score dropped the most -- 59 points from last year.

Typically, as a percentage, fewer Johnston County high school seniors take the SAT compared to their peers statewide. That held true this year, when 42 percent of seniors took the test, compared with 63 percent across North Carolina.

This year, 660 seniors took the SAT. That's 37 fewer students than last year.

Some school leaders said the recession was likely a factor in the lower number of students who took the test. To save money, more and more students are opting for community colleges instead of four-year schools. Community colleges don't require the SAT for admission.

"With the economy the way it is, I do think young people stay closer to home the first couple of years," said Larry Strickland, chairman of the Johnston County Board of Education.

Participation rates on the SAT dropped at Clayton, Smithfield-Selma, West Johnston and the Middle College.

While Princeton's scores jumped this year, the number of students there who took the test also climbed nearly 10 percentage points from last year.

Clayton had the highest participation rate. Half the students took the test, but that was seven percentage points behind last year.

Johnston County Middle College High School had the lowest participation rate -- 31 percent. Next was Smithfield-Selma, with 39 percent.