Percentile distribution of average reading and mathematics scores of 4th- and 8th-grade public school students and the percentage of students at each achievement level, by school location: 2003

Student Reading and Mathematics Performance in Public Schools by Urbanicity

Table 14-2. Percentile distribution of average reading and mathematics scores of 4th- and 8th-grade public school students and the percentage of students at each achievement level, by school location: 2003

	Reading					Mathematics
Grade, percentile, and achievement level	All public schools	All central city schools	Large central city schools¹	Urban fringe schools	Rural schools	All public schools	All central city schools	Large central city schools¹	Urban fringe schools	Rural schools

	Average score
Grade 4	216	208	202	221	219	234	227	223	238	236
Grade 8	261	253	248	265	264	276	267	262	280	279
Percentile
Grade 4
10th	167	157	152	172	172	196	189	185	200	201
25th	193	182	177	198	198	215	207	203	219	219
50th	219	209	203	223	222	235	227	223	239	237
75th	243	234	229	247	244	254	247	244	258	255
90th	262	256	251	265	262	270	265	262	273	269
Grade 8
10th	215	206	200	219	220	228	218	214	233	235
25th	240	230	225	244	243	253	242	237	257	257
50th	264	255	249	268	266	278	268	262	282	281
75th	286	278	273	289	286	301	293	287	305	302
90th	304	298	293	307	304	321	316	311	325	320

	Percentage at achievement level
Grade 4
Below Basic	38	49	55	34	34	24	33	38	20	20
At or above Basic	62	51	45	66	66	76	67	62	80	80
At or above Proficient	30	22	18	34	32	31	23	20	36	32
At Advanced	7	5	4	8	7	4	3	2	5	3
Grade 8
Below Basic	28	37	43	24	25	33	44	50	29	29
At or above Basic	72	63	57	76	75	67	56	50	71	71
At or above Proficient	30	22	18	34	31	27	20	16	31	28
At Advanced	3	2	1	3	2	5	4	3	6	4

¹ “Large central city” includes all students enrolled in schools that are located in a “central city” of a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) of at least 2.5 million in total population.
NOTE: An MSA is a Census Bureau designation encompassing a “large population nucleus together with adjacent communities that have a high degree of economic and social integration with that core.” The majority of large central city schools in this indicator are in what are commonly considered to be inner cities. A few schools not thought to be in what is commonly considered to be an “inner city” are included in this category because within each MSA the largest city is designated a “central city,” even if the geographic area of this city does not technically meet the Census requirements concerning population size and commuting patterns to be designated as a “central city” area. For more information about community type and the National School Lunch Program, see supplemental note 1. For more information on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), see supplemental note 4.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2003 Reading and Mathematics Assessments, previously unpublished tabulation (January 2005).

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