According to the 2009 NAEP test results in reading and math proficiency in grades four and eight, the best state for primary education is Massachusetts, which ranked first in each category. Vermont and New Jersey tied for second-best state, both ranking in the top five states for each category. New Hampshire ranked fourth-best state in the country, with high scores in every category but grade eight reading proficiency. Tied for fifth-best state were Connecticut and Minnesota. Connecticut was in the top five states for proficiency in reading for fourth- and eight-graders, and Minnesota was in the top five for proficiency in math for fourth- and eight-graders.
The top third of the states that had fourth-grade students with the highest proficiency in reading, the 2009 NAEP tests show, were Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia. The state with the highest percentage of students proficient at reading was Massachusetts with 47 percent followed by Connecticut with 42 percent. New Hampshire and Vermont both had 41 percent and New Jersey and Colorado had 40 percent. The national average in 2009 was 32 percent.
The top third of the states that have fourth-grade students with the highest proficiency in math were Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. The state with the highest percentage of students proficient at math was Massachusetts with 57 percent, followed by New Hampshire with 56 percent, Minnesota with 54 percent, Vermont with 51 percent and New Jersey with 49 percent. The 2009 national average was 38 percent.
The top third of the states that have eighth-grade students with the highest proficiency in reading were Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming. The states with the highest percentage of students proficient in reading were Massachusetts and Connecticut each with 43 percent, followed by New Jersey with 42 percent, Vermont with 41 percent and Pennsylvania with 40 percent. The national average in 2009 was 30 percent.
The top third of the states that have eighth-grade students with the highest proficiency in math, according to the 2009 NAEP tests, were Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. The state with the highest percentage of students proficient in math was Massachusetts with 52 percent followed by Minnesota with 47 percent. New Jersey and Montana both had 44 percent and tied were New Hampshire, North Dakota and Vermont with 43 percent. The national average in 2009 was 33 percent.