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
8	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
Source: Morgan Quitno Press