Average mathematics scores of 4th- and 8th-grade students, by sex and country: 2003

International Comparison of 4th- and 8th-Grade Performance in Mathematics

Table 11-1. Average mathematics scores of 4th- and 8th-grade students, by sex and country: 2003

	Grade 4				Grade 8
		Sex				Sex
Country	Total	Male	Female	Male-female difference¹	Total	Male	Female	Male-female difference¹

International average²	495*	496	495	1	466*	466	467	-1
Armenia	456*	450	462	-12	478*	473	483	-10
Australia³	499*	500	497	3	505	511	499	13
Bahrain	—	—	—	†	401*	385	417	-33
Belgium-Flemish	551*	552	549	2	537*	542	532	11
Botswana	—	—	—	†	366*	365	368	-3
Bulgaria	—	—	—	†	476*	477	476	1
Chile	—	—	—	†	387*	394	379	15
Chinese Taipei	564*	564	564	-1	585*	582	589	-7
Cyprus	510*	514	505	9	459*	452	467	-16
Egypt	—	—	—	†	406*	406	407	-1
England³	531*	532	530	2	—	—	—	†
Estonia	—	—	—	†	531*	530	532	-2
Ghana	—	—	—	†	276*	283	266	17
Hong Kong SAR^3,4	575*	575	575	#	586*	585	587	-2
Hungary	529*	530	527	3	529*	533	526	7
Indonesia⁵	—	—	—	†	411*	410	411	-1
Iran, Islamic Republic of	389*	386	394	-8	411*	408	417	-9
Israel⁶	—	—	—	†	496	500	492	8
Italy	503*	507	498	9	484*	486	481	6
Japan	565*	566	563	4	570*	571	569	3
Jordan	—	—	—	†	424*	411	438	-27
Korea, Republic of	—	—	—	†	589*	592	586	5
Latvia	536*	536	536	-1	508	506	511	-6
Lebanon	—	—	—	†	433*	439	429	10
Lithuania⁵	534*	536	535	1	502	499	503	-5
Macedonia, Republic of⁶	—	—	—	†	435*	431	439	-9
Malaysia	—	—	—	†	508	505	512	-8
Moldova, Republic of	504*	499	510	-11	460*	455	465	-10
Morocco⁶	347*	350	344	6	387*	393	381	12
Netherlands³	540*	543	537	6	536*	540	533	7
New Zealand	493*	494	493	#	494	493	495	-3
Norway	451*	454	449	5	461*	460	463	-3
Palestinian National Authority	—	—	—	†	390*	386	394	-8
Philippines	358*	352	364	-12	378*	370	383	-13
Romania	—	—	—	†	475*	473	477	-4
Russian Federation	532*	534	530	4	508	507	510	-3
Saudi Arabia	—	—	—	†	332*	336	326	10
Scotland³	490*	496	485	11	498	495	500	-5
Serbia	—	—	—	†	477*	473	480	-7
Singapore	594*	590	599	-8	605*	601	611	-10
Slovak Republic	—	—	—	†	508	508	508	#
Slovenia	479*	481	477	5	493*	491	495	-3
South Africa	—	—	—	†	264*	264	262	3
Sweden	—	—	—	†	499	499	499	1
Tunisia	339*	337	342	-5	410*	423	399	24
United States^3,6	518	522	514	8	504	507	502	6

— Not available.
† Not applicable.
# Rounds to zero.
* Significantly different from the United States (p<.05).
¹ Difference is calculated by subtracting the average for females from the average for males using unrounded numbers.
² At the 8th-grade level, the international average reported here differs from that reported in Mullis et al. (2004) because England was deleted from the international average for not satisfying guidelines for sample participation rates.
³ Met international guidelines for participation in 2003 only after replacement schools were included. England at grade 8 did not meet international guidelines for participation rates even after replacement schools were included.
⁴ Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China.
⁵ National desired population does not cover all of the international desired population.
⁶ Country did not meet international sampling or other guidelines in 2003.
NOTE: Countries were required to sample students in the upper of the two grades that contained the larger number of 9- and 13-year-olds. In the United States and most countries, this corresponds to grades 4 and 8. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. See supplemental note 5 for more information on this study.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2004). Highlights From the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2003 (NCES 2005–005), tables 2, 3, C1, C2, C7, and C10 and unpublished tabulation (November 2004). Data from the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), TIMSS 1995, 1999, and 2003 assessments.

NCES Headlines