Two Beaufort County high schools have earned state honors for their students' performance on college entrance examinations.

Bluffton and Hilton Head Island high schools were honored by the S.C. Department of Education as part of the agency's Performance Improvement Award Program, according to a news release from the school district. The program annual recognizes high schools for graduating seniors' performance on either the ACT or SAT exams.

Hilton Head High received a Cum Laude designation for its SAT scores. The school's average score among 2012 seniors was 1,479 on a 2,400-point scale. That's up from 1,473 in 2011.

Bluffton High was given a Magna Cum Laude designation for excellent performance and rapid improvement. The school's average SAT scores among 2012 seniors was 1,420, up from 1,395 in 2011.

Bluffton High also received the same designation for its ACT scores, which averaged 21.4 in 2012 on a 36-point scale. That's up from 20.1 the previous year.

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