Local results of the SAT slipped in 2008, according to figures released Tuesday.

Average composite scores on the nationally administered college entrance exam fell in Richmond, Columbia and Aiken counties.

Richmond County slipped by 4 points to 1,383; Columbia County dropped 13 points to 1,500; and Aiken County fell 4 points to 1,474.

"Of course, we would love to see gains," Richmond County Director of Student Services Carol Rountree said. "We did have some schools to see gains."

Of the county's 10 high schools, half improved, including John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School, which performed better than any other school in Georgia with a score of 1,733. It was one of only two state schools to score more than 1,700 points.

In Columbia County, the average composite scores exceeded the state average by 47 points but trailed the national average by 11 points. The county's scores were also lower in all areas compared with last year's average scores.

This year 1,004 Columbia County students took the SAT, compared to 1,029 a year ago.

Rose Carraway, the director of high school student learning, said Tuesday afternoon that she had yet to review the SAT data.

Overall, Georgia slid 19 points to 1,453, while South Carolina improved two points from 2007 to 1,461.

South Carolina's two-point increase follows a steady 34-point rise in math and reading scores since 1998, according to the State Department of Education.

Although South Carolina trails the national average of 1,511, South Aiken and Aiken high school seniors surpassed the national average with 1,526 and 1,521, respectively.