Does Iowa have higher reading and math scores, on average, than Minnesota?
By Alberto Gomez
View this fact brief on MinnPost
Copy link
Copy featured image
NO
On average over the last decade, Minnesota’s scores for fourth and eighth grade math and reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress have been slightly higher than Iowa’s.
In 2022, the latest data available, Iowa’s fourth graders scored higher in math and reading than Minnesota’s, but Minnesota’s eighth graders scored higher than Iowa’s in math. The two states had the same eighth grade reading score on NAEP.
NAEP test scores were not recorded in 2020 and 2021. In 2019, Minnesota outperformed Iowa in all categories.
In grade 4 and 8 math, both Iowa and Minnesota students tend to score higher than the national average. Both states’ reading scores are similar to the national average.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
The Nation's Report Card State Report Cards
Google Docs NAEP average scale scores for Minnesota and Iowa
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
MinnPost is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces thoughtful, in-depth journalism about civic and cultural affairs impacting Minnesota. Through our reporting, we take readers beyond the headlines and deep into the issues that matter through our public-service journalism, empowering them to engage in the politics and policy-making shaping Minnesota’s future.
