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Does Iowa have higher reading and math scores, on average, than Minnesota?

By Alberto Gomez
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.
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