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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

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

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