Massachusetts Named Smartest State
New Mexico Ranks Lowest
POSTED: 12:44 p.m. EDT October 8, 2003
Massachusetts, home to many great universities, was recognized recently for its excellence in elementary and secondary education. The Bay State wins the 2003 Smartest State Award, an honor announced annually in Education State Rankings, a reference book from Morgan Quitno Press.
At the opposite end of the scale, New Mexico comes in as the lowest ranked state for the second straight year.
The Smartest State Award is based on 21 factors that compare the 50 states in more than 400 elementary and secondary education categories. Factors considered include per pupil expenditures, public high school graduation rates, average class size, student reading, writing and math proficiency, and pupil-teacher ratios and teacher salaries as a percent of average annual pay.
"The Smartest State Award measures the quality of state elementary and secondary education," said Scott Morgan, president of Morgan Quitno Press. "The award recognizes those states with a strong commitment to its students and teachers, an emphasis on excellence in the classroom and support of safe, efficiently run public schools."
Rounding out the top five states with Massachusetts were Vermont, last year\'s winner Connecticut, Montana, and New Jersey. Others in the lower end of the rankings scale were New Mexico in last place, Nevada in 49th, Mississippi in 48th, Louisiana in 47th and Alabama in 46th places.
2003 Smartest State Rankings
Rank State
1 Massachusetts
2 Vermont
3 Connecticut
4 Montana
5 New Jersey
6 Maine
7 Pennsylvania
8 Wisconsin
9 Iowa
10 New York
11 Nebraska
12 Minnesota
13 Indiana
14 Wyoming
15 Kansas
16 Rhode Island
17 Virginia
18 Maryland
19 Delaware
20 Michigan
21 North Carolina
22 Ohio
23 Alaska
24 North Dakota
25 Utah
26 New Hampshire
27 Illinois
28 Missouri
29 West Virginia
30 Idaho
31 South Dakota
32 Oregon
33 Washington
34 Texas
35 Colorado
36 Georgia
37 Kentucky
38 Arkansas
39 Oklahoma
40 Florida
41 South Carolina
42 Tennessee
43 Hawaii
44 California
45 Arizona
46 Alabama
47 Louisiana
48 Mississippi
49 Nevada
50 New Mexico
