Name: State test proficiency rates, ranked
Creator: allk12
Published: 2026-05-25T03:49:22.033Z
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Keywords: achievement, public schools, K-12, NCES

State test proficiency rates, ranked

Most-recent statewide proficiency rates for reading and math across every state's native assessment program.

May 25, 2026

KEY FINDING

Most-recent average school-level proficiency on state-native math + reading/ELA tests ranges from ~44% in California to ~73% in Virginia. The roughly 30 percentage-point gap reflects underlying demographic differences, differences in test rigor, and differences in cut-score policy. It is not a direct cross-state comparison of student performance.

States with coverage

Highest avg proficient

73.1%

Caveat

Not cross-state comparable

state cut-scores differ

STATE TEST PROFICIENCY · MOST RECENT YEAR · NATIVE ASSESSMENTS

State	Avg proficient ↓	Year	Schools	Test-result rows
Virginia	73.1%	2,025	1,799	3,596
Iowa	72.6%	2,025	1,153	9,590
Nebraska	58.6%	2,025	749	4,967
Florida	58.1%	2,025	3,447	30,270
Maine	57.9%	2,025	408	718
Ohio	56.3%	2,025	3,203	24,808
New York	55.8%	2,025	4,458	42,818
Wyoming	54.7%	2,025	261	2,028
North Carolina	52.6%	2,025	2,296	16,798
South Carolina	51.2%	2,025	933	7,681
Vermont	51.0%	2,025	268	268
Wisconsin	51.0%	2,025	1,558	13,031
Missouri	49.9%	2,025	1,606	10,014
Connecticut	49.2%	2,025	738	1,458
New Hampshire	49.1%	2,025	434	3,082
Mississippi	49.0%	2,024	860	1,719
Idaho	48.5%	2,025	619	1,187
Texas	48.0%	2,024	7,983	62,797
New Jersey	47.8%	2,025	2,210	18,076
South Dakota	47.1%	2,025	465	907
Hawaii	46.9%	2,025	290	580
Michigan	46.6%	2,025	1,692	10,608
Kentucky	46.1%	2,025	1,124	8,456
Washington	45.8%	2,025	1,950	14,106
Pennsylvania	44.6%	2,025	2,740	21,260
Minnesota	44.2%	2,025	1,654	12,427
Alabama	43.7%	2,025	1,271	10,054
Maryland	43.7%	2,025	1,291	2,581
Illinois	42.8%	2,025	3,534	27,786
Montana	42.5%	2,021	652	1,205
Kansas	41.6%	2,025	1,257	2,512
Massachusetts	41.2%	2,025	1,634	12,555
California	40.9%	2,024	7,765	64,413
Utah	40.8%	2,025	967	2,195
Colorado	40.5%	2,025	1,395	10,880
Nevada	40.4%	2,025	539	1,065
Georgia	39.8%	2,025	2,163	15,516
North Dakota	39.3%	2,025	446	892
Tennessee	39.1%	2,025	1,749	13,678
Indiana	39.0%	2,025	1,470	11,871
New Mexico	38.5%	2,025	606	4,093
Delaware	37.5%	2,025	160	318
Oregon	37.4%	2,025	1,180	2,330
Louisiana	37.2%	2,024	948	3,712
Rhode Island	35.1%	2,025	227	450
West Virginia	34.2%	2,021	601	1,190
Alaska	33.5%	2,024	329	627
Arkansas	33.0%	2,024	996	7,401
Oklahoma	32.9%	2,025	994	5,405
District of Columbia	28.9%	2,025	212	414
Arizona	27.4%	2,025	1,799	10,380

51 of 51 rows · Cross-state comparisons are limited by differences in each state's cut-score policy and test rigor. Use within-state comparisons for rigorous benchmarking.↓ Download state-test-proficiency-ranked.csv

The headline

Across the eight US states for which we have the largest assessment-data coverage, average school-level proficiency on state-native math + reading/ELA tests in 2024-25 ranges from ~44% (California) to ~73% (Virginia). The roughly 30 percentage-point gap reflects three things: differences in underlying student demographics, differences in test rigor, and differences in cut-score policy.

What proficiency rates do and don't tell you

A "percent proficient" number is the share of students who scored at or above the state-set "meets standards" threshold. Each state sets its own threshold against its own scale, and states do this differently. Virginia's SOL "proficient" is approximately at the 30th-percentile NAEP equivalence; Massachusetts' MCAS "proficient" is approximately at the 65th-percentile NAEP equivalence.

This means the raw proficiency-rate leaderboard cannot be directly compared across states. Virginia's 70% proficient and Massachusetts' 42% proficient may reflect similar actual student performance.

The within-state version

Within a state, proficiency rates can be compared school-to-school and district-to-district because the scale and threshold are constant. The most useful application of state proficiency data is therefore within-state: ranking your kid's school against other schools in the same state, not against schools elsewhere.

The cross-state version that's actually valid

The only rigorous cross-state comparison of US student performance is the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the "Nation's Report Card," which uses a single instrument administered consistently across states. State assessment data is more granular and timely, but state-to-state comparisons of state assessment data should be made cautiously.

Methodology

Sources: state-native assessment programs (CAASPP, STAAR, MCAS, SOL, etc.) for the most recent year available in each state, typically 2023-24 or 2024-25. The average proficiency is computed across all schools and all grades tested in math and reading/ELA. Coverage is best in the largest states; some smaller states have partial coverage.

HOW TO CITE THIS REPORT

Anyone is welcome to cite or republish these findings. Please credit allk12.com and link back to this page so readers can verify the underlying data.

allk12 (2026). "State test proficiency rates, ranked." Retrieved from https://allk12.com/reports/state-test-proficiency-ranked

Source: <a href="https://allk12.com/reports/state-test-proficiency-ranked">allk12.com</a>

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DATA NOTICE

allk12 is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NCES, the US Census Bureau, any state education agency or assessment program, or any other government agency. Source data is compiled from public records and provided "as is," without warranty of accuracy or completeness. You rely on it, and any analysis derived from it, at your own risk. See the full disclaimer.