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Digest of Education Statistics
2019 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 221.72. Average National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading scale score of 4th- and 8th-grade public school students, by school locale and state: 2019
[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
State 4th-grade 8th-grade
Total School locale Total School locale
City Suburban Town Rural City Suburban Town Rural
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
United States 219 (0.2) 213 (0.4) 225 (0.4) 216 (0.7) 219 (0.5) 262 (0.3) 257 (0.7) 266 (0.4) 258 (0.8) 263 (0.5)
Alabama 212 (1.2) 208 (2.3) 217 (2.6) 207 (2.8) 213 (2.2) 253 (1.4) 253 (3.3) 259 (2.8) 248 (2.6) 252 (2.1)
Alaska 204 (1.2) (†) (†) (†) (†) 252 (1.1) (†) (†) (†) (†)
Arizona 216 (1.3) 214 (2.0) 220 (2.0) 213 (4.0) 214 (4.5) 259 (1.2) 256 (2.1) 266 (2.1) 256 (3.2) 257 (4.1)
Arkansas 215 (1.2) 217 (2.9) 214 (3.5) 214 (2.1) 215 (2.0) 259 (1.1) 264 (2.6) 261 (2.0) 255 (1.9) 256 (2.3)
California 216 (1.0) 214 (1.5) 223 (1.8) 201 (4.9) 206 (6.1) 259 (1.4) 259 (2.5) 261 (1.8) 248 (5.7) (†)

Colorado
225 (1.1) 219 (2.0) 229 (1.4) 224 (4.5) 229 (2.2) 267 (0.9) 264 (1.9) 270 (1.6) 259 (5.8) 272 (2.1)
Connecticut 224 (1.3) 213 (2.9) 228 (1.3) (†) 236 (3.7) 270 (1.2) 256 (3.0) 274 (1.3) (†) 279 (2.5)
Delaware 218 (0.9) 206 (2.0) 218 (1.2) 219 (1.8) 224 (2.8) 260 (0.8) 258 (2.5) 257 (1.4) 262 (1.8) 264 (1.8)
District of Columbia 214 (0.8) 214 (0.8) (†) (†) (†) 250 (0.9) 250 (0.9) (†) (†) (†)
Florida 225 (1.1) 223 (1.8) 226 (1.3) (†) 222 (3.3) 263 (1.1) 263 (1.6) 263 (1.7) 259 (3.5) 267 (2.2)

Georgia
218 (1.2) 213 (2.7) 222 (1.9) 215 (6.1) 215 (1.8) 262 (1.0) 258 (3.8) 264 (1.5) 256 (2.3) 264 (2.2)
Hawaii 218 (1.1) 219 (2.4) 221 (1.5) 214 (2.1) 206 (4.8) 258 (1.0) 264 (1.6) 261 (1.5) 252 (2.1) 248 (3.9)
Idaho 223 (1.2) 226 (1.8) 224 (2.0) 214 (1.9) 224 (2.7) 266 (0.9) 269 (1.8) 270 (1.6) 262 (2.0) 265 (2.0)
Illinois 218 (1.3) 210 (2.3) 223 (1.6) 219 (2.7) 218 (4.5) 265 (1.0) 258 (1.5) 267 (1.7) 263 (5.8) 270 (3.1)
Indiana 222 (1.2) 212 (2.7) 229 (2.2) 218 (1.9) 227 (1.9) 266 (1.3) 255 (2.6) 274 (1.9) 263 (4.2) 270 (2.4)

Iowa
221 (1.1) 213 (2.7) 233 (3.0) 218 (2.2) 222 (2.0) 262 (1.1) 256 (2.2) 275 (2.4) 257 (2.6) 265 (1.5)
Kansas 219 (1.2) 215 (2.3) 228 (3.2) 216 (1.9) 222 (2.0) 263 (0.9) 257 (1.9) 274 (2.4) 261 (2.6) 263 (1.6)
Kentucky 221 (1.2) 217 (2.4) 229 (2.8) 221 (2.6) 220 (1.6) 263 (1.0) 261 (1.5) 266 (2.7) 263 (2.0) 263 (1.8)
Louisiana 210 (1.4) 206 (3.6) 215 (2.1) 204 (3.5) 210 (2.3) 257 (1.4) 256 (2.5) 261 (2.4) 248 (3.2) 260 (2.8)
Maine 221 (0.9) 218 (2.8) 235 (2.1) 217 (3.2) 219 (1.3) 265 (0.9) 264 (3.0) 272 (2.1) 259 (2.2) 265 (1.2)

Maryland
220 (1.3) 210 (2.5) 222 (1.6) 220 (13.5) 224 (2.8) 264 (1.0) 255 (1.7) 265 (1.3) 266 (7.4) 275 (3.2)
Massachusetts 231 (1.1) 223 (1.9) 232 (1.3) (†) 243 (3.7) 273 (1.0) 263 (2.0) 275 (1.2) (†) (†)
Michigan 218 (1.2) 207 (2.9) 222 (1.8) 225 (2.7) 221 (3.2) 263 (1.2) 251 (2.9) 265 (1.6) 266 (2.7) 266 (2.6)
Minnesota 222 (1.1) 215 (3.6) 228 (1.8) 219 (2.4) 223 (2.1) 264 (1.1) 256 (2.5) 268 (2.2) 265 (2.2) 262 (1.7)
Mississippi 219 (1.1) 215 (4.2) 225 (2.4) 211 (2.4) 223 (1.6) 256 (1.0) 255 (2.7) 264 (2.1) 250 (1.8) 258 (1.4)

Missouri
218 (1.2) 204 (4.1) 226 (2.0) 218 (2.7) 216 (2.3) 263 (1.2) 260 (4.2) 267 (1.8) 265 (2.2) 260 (2.1)
Montana 222 (1.0) 221 (2.5) 225 (5.9) 222 (1.8) 221 (1.8) 265 (0.8) 265 (1.5) (†) 262 (1.6) 268 (1.3)
Nebraska 222 (1.0) 218 (1.6) 229 (2.0) 221 (1.8) 227 (2.3) 264 (0.9) 261 (1.5) 268 (2.1) 263 (2.1) 266 (1.6)
Nevada 218 (1.1) 219 (1.8) 216 (2.0) 220 (3.2) 221 (4.7) 258 (0.9) 260 (1.3) 256 (1.5) 257 (5.0) 259 (4.0)
New Hampshire 224 (1.1) 211 (2.6) 231 (1.9) 218 (3.1) 225 (1.8) 268 (1.0) 253 (2.3) 271 (1.5) 270 (2.4) 270 (1.5)

New Jersey
227 (1.3) 209 (5.3) 230 (1.3) (†) 230 (4.3) 270 (1.2) 253 (5.6) 272 (1.2) (†) 291 (4.5)
New Mexico 208 (1.2) 209 (2.0) 202 (3.2) 208 (1.8) 209 (2.9) 252 (1.0) 252 (1.6) 255 (2.7) 252 (1.7) 248 (2.4)
New York 220 (1.3) 212 (1.6) 229 (2.4) 221 (5.3) 222 (3.2) 262 (1.2) 253 (1.5) 271 (1.9) 262 (6.5) 263 (2.8)
North Carolina 221 (1.0) 220 (1.8) 231 (2.1) 213 (2.9) 219 (1.8) 263 (1.1) 263 (2.7) 268 (2.1) 253 (3.1) 261 (1.4)
North Dakota 221 (0.8) 220 (2.0) 224 (2.5) 223 (2.0) 220 (1.3) 263 (0.9) 263 (1.5) 265 (2.8) 261 (1.9) 264 (1.1)

Ohio
222 (1.1) 204 (2.8) 228 (1.6) 221 (3.2) 227 (2.2) 267 (1.2) 243 (3.2) 272 (2.1) 265 (2.4) 274 (2.3)
Oklahoma 216 (1.1) 207 (3.0) 223 (1.8) 216 (1.8) 219 (1.8) 258 (0.9) 258 (2.5) 260 (1.4) 256 (1.4) 259 (1.8)
Oregon 218 (1.1) 220 (2.2) 219 (2.2) 213 (2.4) 217 (2.7) 264 (1.1) 266 (2.0) 266 (2.1) 257 (1.9) 265 (2.9)
Pennsylvania 223 (1.2) 202 (3.2) 230 (1.8) 223 (3.9) 230 (2.4) 264 (1.1) 245 (2.7) 272 (1.8) 262 (1.8) 263 (1.8)
Rhode Island 220 (0.9) 208 (1.9) 222 (1.3) (†) 239 (2.6) 262 (0.9) 244 (1.9) 266 (1.0) (†) 278 (2.3)

South Carolina
216 (1.3) 212 (3.7) 221 (2.3) 206 (4.1) 215 (2.2) 259 (0.9) 258 (2.0) 265 (1.6) 253 (3.9) 255 (1.6)
South Dakota 222 (1.0) 221 (2.0) (†) 226 (1.7) 220 (1.7) 263 (0.9) 264 (1.9) (†) 266 (2.1) 259 (1.3)
Tennessee 219 (1.0) 212 (1.5) 230 (2.1) 217 (3.2) 220 (2.2) 262 (1.1) 255 (2.5) 274 (2.6) 258 (2.6) 264 (1.6)
Texas 216 (1.1) 211 (1.8) 222 (2.4) 217 (2.0) 215 (2.0) 256 (1.2) 250 (2.3) 262 (2.2) 253 (2.9) 258 (2.3)
Utah 225 (1.0) 223 (1.9) 225 (1.5) 222 (2.9) 233 (3.9) 267 (1.2) 267 (2.7) 269 (1.7) 264 (3.1) 265 (1.9)

Vermont
222 (0.8) (†) (†) (†) (†) 268 (0.8) (†) (†) (†) (†)
Virginia 224 (1.2) 220 (3.0) 229 (1.6) 210 (3.5) 220 (2.4) 262 (1.3) 258 (3.2) 263 (1.6) 259 (5.6) 263 (2.9)
Washington 220 (1.3) 221 (2.0) 221 (2.2) 209 (3.5) 218 (3.5) 266 (1.3) 266 (3.0) 270 (2.1) 255 (2.0) 263 (4.2)
West Virginia 213 (1.1) 215 (3.7) 217 (2.2) 214 (2.0) 211 (1.8) 256 (1.0) 259 (2.6) 261 (2.2) 250 (1.8) 255 (1.6)
Wisconsin 220 (1.1) 210 (1.9) 230 (2.3) 218 (2.2) 221 (2.6) 267 (0.9) 256 (1.6) 276 (1.8) 269 (2.2) 271 (2.8)
Wyoming 227 (0.9) 223 (1.9) (†) 228 (1.2) 229 (1.6) 265 (0.8) 260 (1.8) (†) 266 (1.0) 267 (1.4)

Department of Defense
    Education Activity
    (DoDEA)1
235 (0.7) (†) (†) (†) (†) 280 (0.7) (†) (†) (†) (†)
†Not applicable.
‡Reporting standards not met.
1 Includes both domestic and overseas schools.
NOTE: Scale ranges from 0 to 500. Table does not include private schools, Bureau of Indian Education schools, or (except in the final row) DoDEA schools. Includes public school students who were tested with accommodations; excludes only those students with disabilities (SD) and English language learners (ELL) who were unable to be tested even with accommodations. SD and ELL populations, accommodation rates, and exclusion rates vary by grade and from state to state.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2019 Reading Assessment, retrieved November 18, 2019, from the Main NAEP Data Explorer (https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/ndecore/xplore/NDE). (This table was prepared November 2019.)

2019 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest