A total of 44 students from Wareham High School have earned the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship Award for scores earned on last spring's MCAS.

The state recently announced the recipients of scholarships, which cover the tuition at public colleges for students who score "advanced" or "proficient" on the English and math MCAS tests taken in grade 10, and who have combined scores from the tests that place them in the top 25% of their graduating class.

Students still have to pay fees, which can be up to $10,000 per year at some schools, but the Adams scholarships will knock several thousand dollars off the tab of a state school education.