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Digest of Education Statistics
2003 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest

Table 115. Average scale score in reading for 8th-graders in public schools, by locale and state or jurisdiction: 1998, 2002, and 2003

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                       |         |              2002                  |              2003
                       |         |____________________________________|___________________________________
                       |         |        |          Locale           |        |          Locale
       State or        |         |        |___________________________|        |__________________________
     jurisdiction      | Average,| Average|        | Urban   |        | Average|        |Urban   |
                       |         |        | Central| fringe/ |Rural/  |        | Central|fringe/ | Rural/
                       |         |        |  city  | large   |small   |        |  city  |large   | small
                       |         |        |        | town    |town    |        |        | town   | town
_______________________|_________|________|________|_________|________|________|________|________|________
           1           |     2   |    3   |     4  |   5     |   6    |   7    |  8     |    9   | 10
_______________________|_________|________|________|_________|________|________|________|________|________
  United States\1\ ....|261 (0.8)|263(0.5)|254(0.7)|266 (0.8)|266(0.6)|261(0.2)|253(0.5)|265(0.5)|264(0.4)
                       |_________|________|________|_________|________|________|________|   _____|________
Alabama ...............|255 (1.4)|253(1.3)|241(3.1)|259 (2.0)|254(1.8)|253(1.5)|246(3.3)|262(2.7)|251(1.7)
Alaska ................|--- (---)|---(---)|---(---)|--- (---)|---(---)|256(1.1)|---(---)|---(---)|---(---)
Arizona  ..............|260 (1.1)|257(1.3)|255(1.5)|259 (3.3)|258(2.7)|255(1.4)|254(1.8)|257(2.4)|256(3.7)
Arkansas ..............|256 (1.3)|260(1.1)|257(3.3)|267(2.8) |259(1.2)|258(1.3)|257(2.6)|263(3.7)|257(1.8)
California\2,3,4\ .....|252 (1.6)|250(1.8)|247(2.7)|252 (2.3)|256(7.5)|251(1.3)|245(2.2)|254(1.8)|257(3.4)
                       |         |        |        |         |                 |        |        |
Colorado ..............|264 (1.0)|---(---)|---(---)|--- (---)|---(---)|268(1.2)|264(2.6)|268(2.0)|270(1.7)
Connecticut ...........|270 (1.0)|267(1.2)|246(2.1)|273 (1.5)|276(2.0)|267(1.1)|250(1.7)|270(1.6)|277(1.7)
Delaware ..............|254 (1.3)|267(0.5)|264(1.9)|268 (0.6)|266(1.0)|265(0.7)|259(2.6)|265(1.0)|266(1.4)
District of Columbia ..|236 (2.1)|240(0.9)|240(0.9)| ‡   (‡) | ‡  (‡) |239(0.8)|239(0.8)| ‡  (‡) | ‡  (‡)
Florida ...............|255 (1.4)|261(1.6)|262(3.5)|260 (2.1)|264(2.4)|257(1.3)|256(2.7)|257(1.8)|258(2.7)
                       |         |        |        |         |                 |        |        |
Georgia ...............|257 (1.4)|258(1.0)|254(3.1)|259 (2.0)|258(1.6)|258(1.1)|242(2.8)|259(1.9)|259(1.7)
Hawaii ................|249 (1.0)|252(0.9)|258(1.3)|246 (1.3)|253(1.4)|251(0.9)|260(1.6)|249(1.5)|249(1.1)
Idaho  ................|--- (---)|266(1.1)|270(3.1)|264 (2.1)|266(1.0)|264(0.9)|265(2.3)|260(1.9)|265(1.3)
Illinois ..............|--- (---)|---(---)|---(---)|--- (---)|---(---)|266(1.0)|253(1.8)|273(1.6)|272(1.8)
Indiana ...............|--- (---)|265(1.3)|260(2.5)|265 (1.7)|268(2.0)|265(1.0)|256(2.0)|270(1.7)|267(1.6)
                       |         |        |        |         |                 |        |        |
Iowa ..................|--- (---)|---(---)|---(---)|--- (---)|---(---) 268(0.8)|261(1.8)|275(2.6)|268(1.0)
Kansas\2,3,4\ .........|268 (1.4)|269(1.3)|259(3.4)|277 (2.6)|271(1.7)|266(1.5)|253(3.2)|273(2.5)|270(1.5)
Kentucky ..............|262 (1.4)|265(1.0)|267(3.0)|267 (2.1)|264(1.3)|266(1.3)|268(3.1)|264(3.2)|267(1.2)
Louisiana .............|252 (1.4)|256(1.5)|251(3.7)|259 (2.1)|258(1.9)|253(1.6)|247(2.7)|258(3.4)|256(2.0)
Maine .................|271 (1.2)|270(0.9)|267(3.4)|274 (2.6)|269(1.1)|268(1.0)|264(2.8)|274(2.4)|268(1.1)
                       |         |        |        |         |                 |        |        |
Maryland\2,3\ .........|261 (1.8)|263(1.7)|243(3.0)|265 (2.1)|271(2.4)|262(1.4)|244(3.8)|263(1.6)|269(4.0)
Massachusetts .........|269 (1.4)|271(1.3)|253(2.4)|276 (2.1)|281(2.1)|273(1.0)|256(2.2)|279(1.5)|279(1.6)
Michigan ..............|--- (---)|265(1.6)|246(5.7)|270 (1.6)|268(1.5)|264(1.8)|253(4.6)|266(3.2)|269(1.7)
Minnesota\2,3\ ........|265 (1.4)|---(---)|---(---)|--- (---)|---(---)|268(1.1)|257(5.1)|273(1.3)|266(1.3)
Mississippi ...........|251 (1.2)|255(0.9)|252(3.3)|262 (2.7)|253(1.5)|255(1.4)|249(5.7)|260(2.3)|255(2.3)
                       |         |        |        |         |                 |        |        |
Missouri ..............|262 (1.3)|268(1.0)|259(3.5)|270 (1.7)|270(1.3)|267(1.0)|256(3.1)|271(1.7)|268(1.6)
Montana\2,3\ ..........|271 (1.3)|270(1.0)|271(1.3)|273(2.1)!|270(1.3)|270(1.0)|271(1.8)|271(3.1)|269(1.3)
Nebraska ..............|--- (---)|270(0.9)|265(1.3)|271(2.6)!|272(1.3)|266(0.9)|264(1.8)|269(2.0)|267(1.2)
Nevada ................|258 (1.0)|251(0.8)|251(1.2)|250 (1.4)|255(2.4)|252(0.8)|250(1.1)|254(1.4)|255(3.1)
New Hampshire .........|--- (---)|---(---)|---(---)|--- (---)|---(---)|271(0.9)|261(3.1)|274(1.2)|272(1.3)
                       |         |        |        |         |                 |        |        |
New Jersey ............|--- (---)|---(---)|---(---)|--- (---)|---(---)|268(1.2)|250(4.0)|269(1.4)|274(2.5)
New Mexico ............|258 (1.2)|254(1.0)|258(2.2)|255 (1.7)|250(1.4)|252(0.9)|253(1.8)|253(1.7)|250(1.6)
New York\2,3\ .........|265 (1.5)|264(1.5)|251(2.2)|275 (1.9)|271(3.6)|265(1.3)|252(1.8)|277(2.1)|270(3.2)
North Carolina ........|262 (1.1)|265(1.1)|264(2.3)|265 (2.3)|265(1.5)|262(1.0)|265(1.8)|262(2.2)|260(1.7)
North Dakota\3\ .......|--- (---)|268(0.8)|264(1.8)|264(2.5)!|271(1.1)|270(0.8)|270(2.0)|266(2.1)|271(0.9)
                       |         |        |        |         |                 |        |        |
Ohio ..................|--- (---)|268(1.6)|255(4.6)|273 (1.6)|271(1.7)|267(1.3)|250(1.9)|272(2.3)|267(1.8)
Oklahoma ..............|265 (1.2)|262(0.8)|258(1.7)|265 (1.9)|262(1.4)|262(0.9)|257(2.4)|267(1.7)|261(1.2)
Oregon\3\ .............|266 (1.5)|268(1.3)|268(2.8)|270 (2.4)|266(1.8)|264(1.2)|260(2.9)|268(1.9)|263(1.9)
Pennsylvania...........|--- (---)|265(1.0)|243(2.8)|273 (1.2)|269(1.6)|264(1.2)|246(4.0)|270(1.3)|266(2.1)
Rhode Island ..........|264 (0.9)|262(0.8)|249(1.1)|269 (1.1)|269(2.0)|261(0.7)|247(1.3)|268(1.2)|269(1.7)
                       |         |        |        |         |                 |        |        |
South Carolina ........|255 (1.1)|258(1.1)|257(2.3)|264 (1.6)|254(1.7)|258(1.3)|258(2.5)|263(2.0)|254(1.8)
South Dakota ..........|--- (---)|---(---)|---(---)|--- (---)|---(---)|270(0.8)|269(1.1)|268(2.6)|270(1.1)
Tennessee\3\ ..........|258 (1.2)|260(1.4)|251(2.8)|268 (2.2)|262(1.5)|258(1.2)|250(2.3)|265(1.8)|260(1.4)
Texas .................|261 (1.4)|262(1.4)|256(2.5)|268 (2.1)|266(3.0)|259(1.1)|255(1.7)|264(1.8)|258(2.6)
Utah ..................|263 (1.0)|263(1.1)|262(2.2)|264 (1.3)|261(3.4)|264(0.8)|263(2.3)|266(0.9)|261(1.9)
                       |         |        |        |         |                 |        |        |
Vermont ...............|--- (---)|272(0.9)|---(---)|--- (---)|---(---)|271(0.8)|---(---)|---(---)|---(---)
Virginia ..............|266 (1.1)|269(1.0)|261(2.3)|275 (1.5)|267(1.9)|268(1.1)|260(1.4)|274(1.3)|267(2.2)
Washington\3\  ........|264 (1.2)|268(1.2)|264(2.4)|270 (1.9)|268(2.2)|264(0.9)|265(1.7)|267(0.9)|261(2.0)
West Virginia .........|262 (1.0)|264(1.0)|261(2.3)|265 (2.2)|264(1.4)|260(1.0)|261(2.7)|260(2.1)|259(1.4)
Wisconsin\2,3\ ........|265 (1.8)|---(---)|---(---)|--- (---)|---(---)|266(1.3)|255(3.2)|275(1.9)|268(1.5)
Wyoming ...............|263 (1.3)|265(0.7)|265(1.6)|261 (4.2)|265(0.6)|267(0.5)|264(1.1)|274(2.9)|268(0.8)
                       |_________|________|________|_________|________|________|________|________|________
                       |         |        |        |         |                 |        |        |
Department of Defense  |         |        |        |         |        |        |        |        |
  dependents schools:  |         |        |        |         |        |        |        |        |
    Domestic schools ..|268 (4.5)|272(1.0)|269(2.3)|273 (2.3)|271(2.4)|269(1.4)|265(3.6)|274(1.9)|270(3.3)
    Overseas schools  .|269  1.0 |273(0.6)|---(---)|--- (---)|---(---)|273(0.7)|---(---)|---(---)|---(---)
                       |=========|========|========|=========|========|========|========|========|========
    Outlying areas     |         |        |        |         |        |        |        |        |
American Samoa ........|--- (---)|198(1.7)|---(---)|--- (---)|---(---)|---(---)|---(---)|---(---)|---(---)
Guam ..................|--- (---)|240(1.2)|---(---)|--- (---)|---(---)|---(---)|---(---)|---(---)|---(---)
Virgin Islands ........|231 (2.1)|241(1.3)|---(---)|--- (---)|---(---)|---(---)|---(---)|---(---)|---(---)
_______________________|_________|________|________|_________|________|________|________|________|________

---Jurisdiction did not participate.
!Interpret data with caution.
‡Sample size is insufficient to permit a reliable estimate.
\1\Based on nationally representative sample. Forty-four jurisdictions (state, District of Columbia, territory, and Department of Defense overseas schools) participated in 1998; 50 jurisdictions participated in 2002; and 53 participated in 2003.
\2\Did not satisfy one or more of the guidelines for school sample participation rates in 1998. Data are subject to appreciable nonresponse bias.
\3\Did not satisfy one or more of the guidelines for school sample participation rates in 2002. Data are subject to appreciable nonresponse bias.
\4\Did not satisfy one or more of the guidelines for school sample participation rates in 2003. Data are subject to appreciable nonresponse bias.

NOTE: These test scores are from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Scale ranges from 0 to 500. Standard errors appear in parentheses.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress, NAEP 2002 and 2003 Reading Report Cards for the Nation and the States, prepared by Educational Testing Service. (This table was prepared August 2004.)


2003 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest