See which states have the highest standardized test scores (2024)

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Massachusetts. Massachusetts consistently ranks among the states with the highest standardized test scores in the U.S. and secured the top spot on our list. At the fourth grade level, 42.9% of students demonstrated proficiency or higher in math; 42.61% achieved the same in reading.

Massachusetts. Massachusetts consistently ranks among the states with the highest standardized test scores in the U.S. and secured the top spot on our list. At the fourth grade level, 42.9% of students demonstrated proficiency or higher in math; 42.61% achieved the same in reading.

New York, which nabbed the top spot in the study, had already implemented harder tests tied to the Common Core in 2013, as had North Carolina and Massachusetts. That may have contributed to the state's high difficulty score.

1. Massachusetts. Massachusetts has the best public school system in the U.S. 48.8% of Massachusetts's eligible schools ranked in the top 25% of high school rankings, a total of 167 schools. Massachusetts has the highest math and reading test scores in the U.S. and the second-highest median ACT score of 25.1.

A 1600 is only achieved by around 300 test takers per year and makes you eligible and highly competitive for admission at every college. Looking at this from another angle, a 1600 SAT score is in the 99nth percentile, which means you scored higher than 99% of all other 2 million+ test takers.

New Mexico, the state with the lowest average SAT score at 19, came in 50th—which is second to last on the overall rankings. Nevada, the state with the lowest ACT score at 17, placed 46th. Here are each state's average SAT and ACT scores, along with where each state ranks: Massachusetts: 1112, 26.

He had many choices of colleges to study further, but he opted out of all options because his sole interest was to become a rapper. Aside from Will, the only two well-known celebrities to have received a perfect 1600 on the SATs are Microsoft's Paul Allen and Facebook's Mark Zuckerburg.

Overall, both the US and UK education systems place a strong emphasis on academic rigor and challenging exams. However, the specific content and format of these exams may vary, making it difficult to determine which country's exams are "harder" overall.

The entry exam for All Souls College, University of Oxford is said to be the hardest exam in the world, partly because it is virtually impossible to revise for.

May 7, 2024, at 12:01 a.m. A young woman walks on the University of South Florida campus in Tampa, Florida. For the second year in a row, Florida is the top state for education in U.S. News & World Report's Best States rankings. The debate around education in Florida is among the most contentious in America.

What was Mark Zuckerberg's SAT score? ›

Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, reportedly scored a perfect 1600 on his SATs. His high score likely played a role in his admission to Harvard University before he dropped out to focus on developing Facebook.

Alongside Paul Allen, Bill Gates founded Microsoft. Interestingly, though he scored a 1590 on the SAT and was admitted into one of America's most prestigious schools, Bill Gates eventually dropped out of Harvard to focus on his up-and-coming company.

Is the SAT Reading or Math section harder? It generally depends on a person and their subject skills, but most people find the SAT Math — No Calculator section more challenging. This is partially due to our dependent use of calculators in upper mathematics courses.

1. Massachusetts. Massachusetts has the best-ranked public schools in the United States and is the second-most educated state, just behind the District of Columbia. About 90.40% of Massachusetts adults have a high school diploma, and 42.90% have a Bachelor's degree or higher.