WASHINGTON — High school seniors in Maryland and Virginia are standouts when it comes to advanced placement examinations.

According to data released Thursday from the College Board, a nonprofit organization that manages the AP program, 30.4 percent of Maryland’s 2016 graduating seniors earned a score of 3 or higher on at least one AP examination, the second-highest nationwide.

In Virginia, 28.3 percent of graduating seniors achieved that benchmark, the sixth-highest in the U.S.

Nationwide, the rate of success was 21.9 percent of seniors.

Others in the top six included Massachusetts, Connecticut, Florida and California.

While colleges and universities set their own policies for awarding credit, such a score on an AP test is generally seen as indicative of college-level work.

Virginia’s numbers are a slight improvement on 2015’s, when 28 percent of Virginia’s public high school graduates earned scores of 3 or higher on at least one AP examination.

“Virginia students are consistently among the highest performing in the nation on AP examinations,” said Steven Staples, Virginia’s superintendent of public instruction. “I think that speaks to the overall strength of the commonwealth’s public schools and to the commitment of Virginia’s teachers to challenging students to meet high expectations.”

Karen Salmon, Maryland’s superintendent of schools, said the latest data indicates continued growth and a high rate of success.

“All students should have the opportunity to succeed in rigorous educational programs,” she said.