So, says Peterson, is Utah's showing on the SAT.

Utah students scored 1,658 on the SAT's reading, math and writing exams, compared to the national average 1,511, College Board reports. Utah's performance, however, represents a 9-point drop from last year, and a national drop of 7 points, the State Office of Education reports.

Just over half — 56 percent — of test takers are from public schools; they averaged 1,737.

The SAT has relatively few Utah participants, about 6 percent of seniors, ranking Utah 42nd in the country, tied with Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Wisconsin, the State Office of Education reported. By comparison, 70 percent of Utah's some 38,000 seniors took the ACT college entrance exam, primarily used by Western colleges and universities.

Skyline High School led in SAT participation, with 107 students, followed by West (91 students) Park City (63), Brighton (55) and Viewmont (46) high schools.

"While it's great that the scores are that good, and particularly for public school students that are that good, it's really not indicative of the population of the whole," Peterson said. "It is indicative of our best and brightest going to compete against the best and the brightest in the country."

While those students likely will be prepared for college — though some, including the group FairTest, question whether the SAT is a good predictor of college success — the Utah System of Higher Education is worried about the rest of Utah's high school students, spokeswoman Amanda Covington said.

"There's still a population out there that's not considering college preparation at all," Covington said. "We're really worried about not only how well prepared (these test takers are) and how well they're going to do ... but those who are not taking these tests."

The idea is, rigorous coursework leads to more prepared college students — and workforce.

Higher education brass are trying to reach the middle-of-the-road students through the Utah Scholars program, which pushes middle school students to take rigorous classes to better prepare for life. Leaders are meeting with religious, business and community leaders to help forward the preparedness message. The Web site, utahmentor.org, created with public education, also offers students preparatory tests, a place to apply for colleges and financial aid, learn about scholarships and plan a career path.

"School needs to be rigorous," said principal Homer, who urges sophomores at orientation to seize every opportunity they can. "We live in a day and an age where kids need a solid, solid foundation in academics to go out there and compete."

---

E-mail: jtcook@desnews.com