Table 12a. National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading scores, by age, sex, race/ethnicity, and highest level of parental education: Selected years, 1980 through 2008
 
Sex, race/ethnicity, and highest level of parental education 13-year-olds
1980 1984 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1999 2004 2008
Total 258 257 257 257 260 258 258 259 259 260
                     
Sex                    
Male 254 253 252 251 254 251 251 254 254 256
Female 263 262 263 263 265 266 264 265 264 264
                     
Race/ethnicity                    
White 264 263 261 262 266 265 266 267 266 268
Black 233 236 243 241 238 234 234 238 243 247
Hispanic 237 240 240 238 239 235 238 244 242 242
Asian/Pacific Islander 269 264 273 254 270 258 254 258 269 278
American Indian/Alaska Native 238 ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ 250
                     
Highest level of parental education                    
Less than high school 239 240 246 241 239 237 239 238 240 239
Graduated high school 253 253 253 251 262 251 251 251 251 251
Some college 268 266 265 267 265 266 268 269 264 265
College graduate 273 268 265 267 271 269 269 270 270 270
                     
  17-year-olds
  1980 1984 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1999 2004 2008
Total 285 289 290 290 290 288 288 288 285 286
                     
Sex                    
Male 282 284 286 284 284 282 281 281 278 280
Female 289 294 294 296 296 295 295 295 292 291
                     
Race/ethnicity                    
White 293 295 295 297 297 296 295 295 293 295
Black 243 264 274 267 261 266 266 264 264 266
Hispanic 261 268 271 275 271 263 265 271 264 269
Asian/Pacific Islander 284 284 289 291 289 288 284 290 287 295
American Indian/Alaska Native ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ 281
                     
Highest level of parental education                    
Less than high school 262 269 267 270 271 268 267 265 259 266
Graduated high school 277 281 282 283 280 276 273 274 274 274
Some college 295 298 299 295 293 294 295 295 286 288
College graduate 301 302 300 302 301 300 299 298 298 298
‡ Reporting standards not met. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is 50 percent or greater.
NOTE: Total includes other racial/ethnic groups not shown separately. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. The NAEP Long-Term Trend reading scale ranges from 0 to 500. Some apparent differences between estimates may not be statistically significant.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), selected years, 1980–2008 Long-term Trend Reading Assessments, NAEP Data Explorer.