PROVIDENCE — College-bound Rhode Island students performed about as well this year as last in the SAT, AP and PSAT tests, it was announced Tuesday by the College Board.

Seniors scored 495 in critical reading on the SAT test, down 1 point from last year; 498 in mathematics, unchanged; and 493 in writing, up 1 point. About 66 percent of seniors took the exam. The scale for scoring ranges from 200 to 800.

Rhode Island students fell below the national average, which is 502 in critical reading, 515 in mathematics, and 494 in writing, the College Board said.

Rhode Island did not fare well when compared with nearby states. Figures from the Associated Press showed that Connecticut’s students scored an average of 507 in math, 506 in writing, and 503 in critical reading. Students in New Hampshire averaged 523 in math and 502 in critical reading. The score for writing was not available.

In Vermont, students scored 519 in critical reading, 523 in math and 507 in writing. The figures for Massachusetts were 525 in math, 514 in critical reading, and 513 in writing.

Scores for Rhode Island seniors who attend public schools were 483 in critical reading, unchanged from last year; 487 in mathematics, down 2 points; and 479 in writing, up 1 point. About 59 percent of the public school seniors in the state took the exam, the 13th-highest participation rate among the states. Figures for private schools were not available.

The College Board said that after two years of declining scores for public school students, the 2008 national scores — 497 in reading, 510 in mathematics, and 488 in writing — stood unchanged. Rhode Island scores, which declined only 1 point in the aggregate, have mirrored that national trend.

The figures showed that gaps of more than 200 points separated the scores in most of the high schools in the urban districts in Rhode Island from the scores of the highest-performing suburban schools in the state.

Participation in the AP, or Advanced Placement, tests among public school students was up for the third year in a row, increasing by 13.4 percent. The students took a total of 3,876 AP tests, of which about 60 percent (2,329) were scored at 3 or better, which represents college-level mastery, according to the College Board.

Peter McWalters, commissioner of elementary and secondary education, said, “Though it’s good to see that Rhode Island is no longer losing ground on the SAT scores, we hope to see further improvement in these scores, particularly in our urban districts, as our new, proficiency-based graduation requirements go into effect.” He added, “I am pleased, however, to see that more of our students are taking the PSAT” — preliminary tests given to high school juniors and sophomores — “and the AP exams, which shows that an increasing number of our students are taking the right steps toward a successful transition to college.”

PSAT participation rates improved 6.4 percent among public school juniors and 6.8 percent for sophomores.

The SATs, administered by the College Board, are voluntary tests that are used as a criterion for college admissions.

A list of scores by public high school will be posted on the RIDE Web site, www.ride.ri.gov