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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 223.23. Average National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) science scale score of 4th- and 8th-grade public school students, by school locale and state: 2015
[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 153 (0.3) 146 (0.6) 156 (0.6) 152 (0.8) 157 (0.7) 153 (0.3) 145 (0.6) 157 (0.5) 153 (0.7) 156 (0.6)
Alabama 145 (1.4) 139 (4.0) 149 (3.5) 146 (2.7) 146 (1.7) 141 (1.2) 137 (3.1) 145 (2.8) 143 (3.0) 140 (1.7)
Alaska --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†)
Arizona 149 (1.4) 145 (1.9) 156 (2.5) 137 (4.1) 152 (4.4) 148 (1.2) 146 (1.5) 153 (2.3) 142 (5.3) 146 (4.2)
Arkansas 150 (1.1) 150 (2.0) 152 (2.9) 147 (3.4) 152 (1.6) 148 (1.0) 148 (2.0) 148 (2.9) 146 (2.5) 152 (1.6)
California 140 (1.7) 141 (2.2) 142 (2.7) 131 (9.9) 138 (9.8) 143 (1.3) 141 (2.0) 145 (1.8) 139 (5.0) 142 (10.9)
                                         
Colorado --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†)
Connecticut 154 (1.1) 138 (2.6) 159 (1.5) (†) 171 (2.6) 155 (1.0) 141 (2.7) 160 (1.2) 153 (5.7) 166 (1.8)
Delaware 150 (0.8) 135 (2.4) 151 (1.1) 156 (1.6) 156 (2.0) 149 (0.7) 140 (2.2) 147 (1.2) 151 (1.7) 158 (1.5)
District of Columbia --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†)
Florida 158 (1.2) 155 (2.0) 160 (1.5) 151 (5.6) 161 (5.0) 153 (1.2) 150 (2.9) 154 (1.4) 151 (4.2) 150 (5.1)
                                         
Georgia 152 (1.2) 142 (1.9) 156 (1.9) 149 (3.8) 152 (2.3) 152 (1.2) 145 (3.8) 155 (1.6) 151 (2.8) 152 (2.6)
Hawaii 146 (1.0) 144 (2.1) 149 (1.6) 145 (2.3) 136 (4.2) 144 (0.8) 143 (1.5) 145 (1.4) 143 (1.5) 142 (3.2)
Idaho 156 (0.8) 158 (2.2) 157 (1.3) 153 (1.9) 155 (1.6) 160 (0.8) 160 (1.8) 162 (1.4) 160 (1.2) 159 (1.9)
Illinois 151 (1.1) 141 (2.6) 155 (1.8) 155 (3.4) 161 (2.4) 150 (1.0) 140 (2.4) 152 (1.3) 152 (3.0) 162 (3.5)
Indiana 159 (1.1) 149 (2.6) 160 (2.4) 163 (2.2) 163 (1.8) 156 (1.2) 147 (2.7) 162 (1.9) 157 (2.6) 159 (1.8)
                                         
Iowa 159 (1.1) 150 (2.4) 170 (3.1) 159 (2.1) 161 (1.5) 159 (1.0) 151 (2.2) 167 (2.5) 155 (2.1) 162 (1.5)
Kansas 154 (1.4) 145 (2.6) 165 (3.2) 153 (1.8) 159 (2.5) 155 (1.1) 146 (3.3) 163 (1.8) 153 (2.2) 160 (1.6)
Kentucky 160 (1.4) 154 (4.0) 165 (3.1) 165 (3.1) 160 (1.5) 157 (0.9) 155 (2.4) 162 (2.2) 157 (1.4) 157 (1.5)
Louisiana --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†)
Maine 158 (0.9) 149 (2.7) 162 (2.1) 155 (2.6) 159 (1.0) 160 (0.6) 157 (2.2) 165 (1.7) 158 (1.6) 159 (0.9)
                                         
Maryland 153 (1.3) 141 (2.6) 155 (1.7) (†) 161 (3.1) 155 (1.2) 147 (2.9) 156 (1.5) (†) 161 (3.4)
Massachusetts 161 (1.3) 151 (4.1) 163 (1.6) (†) 173 (3.1) 162 (1.3) 148 (3.7) 164 (1.4) (†) 163 (5.2)
Michigan 154 (1.4) 142 (3.2) 158 (2.6) 158 (2.6) 156 (2.9) 155 (1.2) 142 (2.2) 158 (1.9) 163 (2.0) 161 (2.2)
Minnesota 157 (1.4) 152 (3.4) 158 (2.8) 158 (2.4) 160 (1.7) 162 (1.0) 148 (2.9) 166 (1.8) 166 (2.0) 163 (1.7)
Mississippi 140 (1.3) 127 (3.2) 153 (2.3) 132 (1.9) 145 (2.1) 140 (1.4) (†) 152 (1.9) 135 (2.7) 140 (2.1)
                                         
Missouri 155 (1.1) 140 (2.7) 160 (1.5) 149 (3.1) 163 (2.0) 159 (1.1) 151 (3.1) 161 (2.1) 160 (1.8) 161 (1.7)
Montana 159 (0.8) 161 (1.3) (†) 157 (1.3) 160 (1.4) 161 (0.6) 159 (1.3) (†) 160 (1.0) 164 (1.1)
Nebraska 162 (1.0) 155 (1.6) 170 (2.4) 162 (1.7) 167 (1.7) 160 (0.8) 155 (1.3) 162 (1.6) 163 (1.9) 164 (1.6)
Nevada 142 (1.2) 142 (1.9) 139 (1.8) 150 (5.8) 150 (4.5) 149 (0.8) 150 (1.1) 145 (1.1) 150 (5.8) 153 (3.0)
New Hampshire 165 (0.8) 155 (2.4) 167 (1.2) 163 (2.4) 168 (1.3) 165 (0.6) 154 (3.1) 167 (1.1) 160 (2.0) 168 (0.9)
                                         
New Jersey 155 (1.4) 129 (4.3) 158 (1.5) (†) 167 (2.1) 156 (1.0) 130 (4.6) 158 (0.8) (†) 165 (3.4)
New Mexico 143 (0.9) 145 (1.6) 139 (3.1) 142 (2.1) 144 (2.2) 143 (0.8) 146 (1.3) 142 (1.9) 146 (2.1) 137 (2.0)
New York 150 (1.1) 138 (1.7) 158 (1.7) (†) 161 (3.5) 150 (1.3) 137 (1.8) 157 (2.1) (†) 163 (2.4)
North Carolina 154 (1.1) 151 (2.0) 157 (2.5) 151 (3.1) 154 (1.7) 150 (1.2) 148 (2.5) 158 (2.5) 146 (2.7) 149 (1.9)
North Dakota 161 (0.7) 160 (1.3) 163 (2.1) 160 (1.4) 162 (1.1) 161 (0.6) 162 (1.0) 162 (1.9) 160 (1.2) 161 (1.0)
                                         
Ohio 157 (1.2) 134 (2.5) 164 (1.7) 163 (2.7) 160 (2.4) 157 (1.8) 123 (7.2) 163 (1.7) 161 (2.2) 161 (1.8)
Oklahoma 153 (0.9) 144 (2.5) 157 (1.7) 155 (2.2) 156 (1.8) 151 (1.1) 144 (3.5) 156 (1.8) 150 (1.3) 153 (2.0)
Oregon 153 (1.2) 156 (2.1) 152 (2.5) 149 (2.4) 156 (2.9) 156 (1.0) 160 (1.5) 157 (1.9) 150 (2.2) 156 (2.8)
Pennsylvania --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†)
Rhode Island 152 (0.9) 135 (1.5) 156 (1.1) (†) 169 (2.4) 151 (0.6) 129 (1.5) 156 (0.8) (†) 169 (2.2)
                                         
South Carolina 155 (1.1) 152 (2.9) 161 (1.9) 154 (2.7) 152 (1.9) 151 (1.0) 149 (2.5) 159 (1.6) 141 (3.1) 148 (1.9)
South Dakota 157 (0.7) 156 (1.5) (†) 159 (1.3) 156 (1.1) 160 (0.7) 161 (1.3) (†) 160 (1.5) 160 (1.1)
Tennessee 157 (1.4) 149 (3.5) 165 (1.8) 163 (2.1) 157 (1.8) 156 (1.4) 144 (3.7) 165 (2.4) 158 (3.3) 160 (1.8)
Texas 155 (1.9) 153 (2.2) 156 (3.9) 151 (2.6) 158 (6.7) 156 (1.2) 150 (1.7) 164 (2.1) 153 (5.7) 160 (2.5)
Utah 160 (1.1) 154 (3.9) 161 (1.2) 158 (2.4) 163 (3.0) 166 (1.2) 161 (2.6) 169 (1.1) 165 (2.0) 163 (5.1)
                                         
Vermont 163 (0.8) (†) (†) (†) (†) 163 (0.7) (†) (†) (†) (†)
Virginia 165 (1.6) 163 (4.2) 170 (2.1) 160 (6.3) 158 (1.8) 160 (0.9) 154 (2.0) 164 (1.3) 157 (4.2) 157 (2.3)
Washington 158 (1.5) 156 (2.8) 162 (2.0) 149 (3.2) 157 (4.9) 157 (1.2) 156 (2.7) 160 (1.4) 152 (3.1) 156 (4.0)
West Virginia 151 (0.9) 148 (2.2) 152 (1.9) 149 (3.4) 152 (1.0) 150 (0.9) 150 (2.3) 151 (1.8) 149 (1.7) 149 (1.5)
Wisconsin 156 (0.9) 143 (1.8) 165 (1.4) 159 (2.6) 162 (2.0) 159 (1.0) 146 (2.9) 163 (1.5) 164 (1.8) 165 (1.5)
Wyoming 161 (0.6) 161 (1.2) 153 (3.8) 162 (1.1) 161 (1.0) 160 (0.6) 156 (1.0) (†) 162 (0.8) 162 (1.4)
                                         
Department of Defense
   Education Activity
   (DoDEA)1
166 (0.7) (†) (†) (†) (†) 166 (0.8) (†) (†) (†) (†)
---Not available.
†Not applicable.
‡Reporting standards not met (too few cases for a reliable estimate).
1 Includes both domestic and overseas schools.
NOTE: Scale ranges from 0 to 300. 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), 2015 Science Assessment, retrieved April 10, 2019, from the Main NAEP Data Explorer (http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/). (This table was prepared April 2019.)

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