Data / Rankings / NAEP average score, reading, grade 8 / US states

US states by NAEP average score, reading, grade 8

New Hampshire had the highest NAEP average score, reading, grade 8 of 51 states in 2015, at 275 NAEP scale score (0 to 500). District of Columbia had the lowest, at 248 NAEP scale score (0 to 500). The median was 267 NAEP scale score (0 to 500) and the figure for the United States was 264 NAEP scale score (0 to 500). Source: National Center for Education Statistics.

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Highest275New Hampshire
Lowest248District of Columbia
Median26751 states
United States264History

Map of states, 2015

Alabama: 259 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Alaska: 260 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Arizona: 263 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Arkansas: 259 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)California: 259 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Colorado: 268 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Connecticut: 273 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Delaware: 263 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)District of Columbia: 248 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Florida: 263 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Georgia: 262 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Hawaii: 257 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Idaho: 269 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Illinois: 267 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Indiana: 268 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Iowa: 268 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Kansas: 267 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Kentucky: 268 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Louisiana: 255 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Maine: 268 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Maryland: 268 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Massachusetts: 274 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Michigan: 264 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Minnesota: 270 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Mississippi: 252 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Missouri: 267 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Montana: 270 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Nebraska: 269 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Nevada: 259 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)New Hampshire: 275 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)New Jersey: 271 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)New Mexico: 253 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)New York: 263 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)North Carolina: 261 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)North Dakota: 267 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Ohio: 266 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Oklahoma: 263 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Oregon: 268 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Pennsylvania: 269 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Rhode Island: 265 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)South Carolina: 260 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)South Dakota: 267 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Tennessee: 265 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Texas: 261 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Utah: 269 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Vermont: 274 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Virginia: 267 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Washington: 267 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)West Virginia: 260 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Wisconsin: 270 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Wyoming: 269 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)
  • Under 260
  • 260 to 270
  • 270 and over
NAEP scale score (0 to 500), 2015. Source: NCES, NAEP Data Service: average scale score, reading, grade 8, all students, public schools, states and nation. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2015

New Hampshire: 275 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)New Hampshire275Massachusetts: 274 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Massachusetts274Vermont: 274 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Vermont274Connecticut: 273 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Connecticut273New Jersey: 271 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)New Jersey271Minnesota: 270 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Minnesota270Montana: 270 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Montana270Wisconsin: 270 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Wisconsin270Utah: 269 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Utah269Nebraska: 269 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Nebraska269Wyoming: 269 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Wyoming269Pennsylvania: 269 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Pennsylvania269Idaho: 269 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Idaho269Maine: 268 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Maine268Indiana: 268 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Indiana268Iowa: 268 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Iowa268Colorado: 268 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Colorado268Maryland: 268 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Maryland268Kentucky: 268 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Kentucky268Oregon: 268 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Oregon268Washington: 267 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Washington267South Dakota: 267 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)South Dakota267North Dakota: 267 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)North Dakota267Missouri: 267 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Missouri267Virginia: 267 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Virginia267Illinois: 267 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Illinois267Kansas: 267 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Kansas267Ohio: 266 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Ohio266Rhode Island: 265 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Rhode Island265Tennessee: 265 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Tennessee265Michigan: 264 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Michigan264Florida: 263 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Florida263New York: 263 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)New York263Arizona: 263 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Arizona263Oklahoma: 263 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Oklahoma263Delaware: 263 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Delaware263Georgia: 262 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Georgia262Texas: 261 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Texas261North Carolina: 261 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)North Carolina261South Carolina: 260 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)South Carolina260Alaska: 260 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Alaska260West Virginia: 260 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)West Virginia260Nevada: 259 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Nevada259California: 259 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)California259Arkansas: 259 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Arkansas259Alabama: 259 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Alabama259Hawaii: 257 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Hawaii257Louisiana: 255 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Louisiana255New Mexico: 253 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)New Mexico253Mississippi: 252 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Mississippi252District of Columbia: 248 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)District of Columbia248New Hampshire: 275 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)New Hampshire275Massachusetts: 274 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Massachusetts274Vermont: 274 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Vermont274Connecticut: 273 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Connecticut273New Jersey: 271 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)New Jersey271Minnesota: 270 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Minnesota270Montana: 270 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Montana270Wisconsin: 270 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Wisconsin270Utah: 269 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Utah269Nebraska: 269 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Nebraska269Wyoming: 269 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Wyoming269Pennsylvania: 269 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Pennsylvania269Idaho: 269 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Idaho269Maine: 268 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Maine268Indiana: 268 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Indiana268Iowa: 268 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Iowa268Colorado: 268 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Colorado268Maryland: 268 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Maryland268Kentucky: 268 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Kentucky268Oregon: 268 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Oregon268Washington: 267 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Washington267South Dakota: 267 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)South Dakota267North Dakota: 267 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)North Dakota267Missouri: 267 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Missouri267Virginia: 267 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Virginia267Illinois: 267 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Illinois267Kansas: 267 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Kansas267Ohio: 266 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Ohio266Rhode Island: 265 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Rhode Island265Tennessee: 265 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Tennessee265Michigan: 264 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Michigan264Florida: 263 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Florida263New York: 263 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)New York263Arizona: 263 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Arizona263Oklahoma: 263 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Oklahoma263Delaware: 263 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Delaware263Georgia: 262 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Georgia262Texas: 261 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Texas261North Carolina: 261 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)North Carolina261South Carolina: 260 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)South Carolina260Alaska: 260 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Alaska260West Virginia: 260 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)West Virginia260Nevada: 259 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Nevada259California: 259 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)California259Arkansas: 259 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Arkansas259Alabama: 259 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Alabama259Hawaii: 257 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Hawaii257Louisiana: 255 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Louisiana255New Mexico: 253 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)New Mexico253Mississippi: 252 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)Mississippi252District of Columbia: 248 NAEP scale score (0 to 500)District of Columbia248
NAEP scale score (0 to 500). Source: NCES, NAEP Data Service: average scale score, reading, grade 8, all students, public schools, states and nation. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2015
NAEP scale score (0 to 500)
1New Hampshire275
2Massachusetts274
3Vermont274
4Connecticut273
5New Jersey271
6Minnesota270
7Montana270
8Wisconsin270
9Utah269
10Nebraska269
11Wyoming269
12Pennsylvania269
13Idaho269
14Maine268
15Indiana268
16Iowa268
17Colorado268
18Maryland268
19Kentucky268
20Oregon268
21Washington267
22South Dakota267
23North Dakota267
24Missouri267
25Virginia267
26Illinois267
27Kansas267
28Ohio266
29Rhode Island265
30Tennessee265
31Michigan264
32Florida263
33New York263
34Arizona263
35Oklahoma263
36Delaware263
37Georgia262
38Texas261
39North Carolina261
40South Carolina260
41Alaska260
42West Virginia260
43Nevada259
44California259
45Arkansas259
46Alabama259
47Hawaii257
48Louisiana255
49New Mexico253
50Mississippi252
51District of Columbia248

Other periods

About this ranking

Average scale score of public school students in reading, grade 8 on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP, the Nation's Report Card), on a scale of 0 to 500, from the National Center for Education Statistics. The year is the year of the assessment, given from January to March.

NAEP tests a sample of students, so each score has a margin of error and a difference of a few points between states or years is often not statistically significant. States are tested every two years (2003 to 2019, then 2022 and 2024). The national value is for public schools only, the group NCES compares states with. Scores are on the same scale across years and states but cannot be compared with state test results.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. NAEP Data Service: average scale score, reading, grade 8, all students, public schools, states and nation. https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/ndecore/xplore/NDE. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

National Center for Education Statistics. (2026). NAEP Data Service: average scale score, reading, grade 8, all students, public schools, states and nation (US states by NAEP average score, reading, grade 8, 2015) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/ndecore/xplore/NDE

MLA 9

NAEP Data Service: average scale score, reading, grade 8, all students, public schools, states and nation, US states by NAEP average score, reading, grade 8, 2015. National Center for Education Statistics, 12 Oct. 2026, https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/ndecore/xplore/NDE. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/naep-reading-grade-8/us-states?period=2015. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

National Center for Education Statistics. 2026. NAEP Data Service: average scale score, reading, grade 8, all students, public schools, states and nation. US states by NAEP average score, reading, grade 8, 2015. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/ndecore/xplore/NDE. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/naep-reading-grade-8/us-states?period=2015.

Harvard

National Center for Education Statistics (2026) NAEP Data Service: average scale score, reading, grade 8, all students, public schools, states and nation, US states by NAEP average score, reading, grade 8, 2015 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/ndecore/xplore/NDE, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/naep-reading-grade-8/us-states?period=2015 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{national_us_states_by_naep_2015,
  author = {{National Center for Education Statistics}},
  title = {{NAEP Data Service: average scale score, reading, grade 8, all students, public schools, states and nation: US states by NAEP average score, reading, grade 8, 2015}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/ndecore/xplore/NDE},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/naep-reading-grade-8/us-states?period=2015. Publisher attribution: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. NAEP Data Service: average scale score, reading, grade 8, all students, public schools, states and nation. https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/ndecore/xplore/NDE. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - National Center for Education Statistics
TI  - NAEP Data Service: average scale score, reading, grade 8, all students, public schools, states and nation: US states by NAEP average score, reading, grade 8, 2015
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/12
PB  - National Center for Education Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/ndecore/xplore/NDE
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/naep-reading-grade-8/us-states?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/naep-reading-grade-8/us-states?period=2015.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. NAEP Data Service: average scale score, reading, grade 8, all students, public schools, states and nation. https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/ndecore/xplore/NDE. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank US states by NAEP average score, reading, grade 8 using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which state has the highest NAEP average score, reading, grade 8?

New Hampshire, with 275 NAEP scale score (0 to 500) in 2015, according to National Center for Education Statistics.

Which state has the lowest NAEP average score, reading, grade 8?

District of Columbia, with 248 NAEP scale score (0 to 500) in 2015.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: National Center for Education Statistics, NAEP Data Service: average scale score, reading, grade 8, all students, public schools, states and nation. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

US states: more rankings