MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota scores on the ACT college entrance exam slipped after the state required juniors to take the test as part of statewide testing.

But Minnesota students still scored high on the test. Minnesota leads the 18 states where all 2016 high school graduates were tested with an average score of 21.1, according to a report issued Wednesday. Minnesota’s average score also was above the national average of 20.8.

Minnesota’s average score slipped from 22.7 the previous year, when 78 percent of college-bound students took the ACT. The drop was expected after juniors took the ACT as part of the statewide testing program in spring of 2015.

Minnesota added more than 17,000 students to the testing program. All minority student groups increased, with the largest increase in Hispanic students with 1,709.