Table 4: Education (Average SAT and ACT Scores Ranked)(1999): Not to Be Taken Too Seriously!
[Note: Much to my annoyance, this chart--intended to be a crude performance measure of educational success as part of a large number of arbitrarily and capriciously chosen indicators of "state enlightenment" has somehow been drawn into the controversy over whether Wisconsin teachers should or should not be deprived of their collective bargaining rights.  Wisconsin did come out well (#2) and most states--usually southern--without collective bargaining fare poorly on this outdated--1999, folks!--chart, but I hope visitors understand this does not purport in any way to be a scientific analysis.  The scores below reflect participation rates that vary dramatically from state to state, and states with low participation rates (reflectly the efforts of only the more serious college-bound students) will tend to score higher.  That said, I'd eat my hat if students in areas that do well, such as the Upper Midwest, don't have a better comprehension of subjects tested on the ACT and SAT than do students in most of the southern and southwestern states. Please visit the   State Enlightenment Rankings to get a better view of the intended purpose of this little exercise.]
 
TATE RANK Combined Score;SAT Rank (M & V Ave)+ACT Rank (AveScore)
ALABAMA 25 55: 14 (1029) + 41 (20.2)
ALASKA 32 59: 29 (934) + 30 (21.0)
ARIZONA 25 55: 26 (944) + 29 (21.1)
ARKANSAS 23 53: 19 (1005) + 39 (20.3)
CALIFORNIA 37 66: 35 (902) + 31 (21.0)
COLORADO 15 37: 22 (980) + 15 (21.5)
CONNECTICUT 18 43: 33 (908) +10 (21.7)
DELAWARE 40 70: 38 (897) + 32 (21.0)
FLORIDA 45 78: 43 (889) + 35 (20.7)
GEORGIA 48 91: 49 (854) +42 (20.2)
HAWAII 29 56: 43 (889) + 13 (21.6)
IDAHO 16 42: 23 (979) + 19 (21.4)
ILLINOIS 13 36: 9 (1048) + 27 (21.2)
INDIANA 42 74: 46 (882) + 28 (21.2)
IOWA 1 7: 2 (1099) + 5 (22.1)
KANSAS 4 18: 7 (1060) + 11 (21.7)
KENTUCKY 35 65: 21 (999) + 44 (20.1)
LOUISIANA 34 63: 16 (1021) + 47 (19.4)
MAINE 25  55: 39 (896) + 16 (21.5)
MARYLAND 38 68: 32 (909) + 36 (20.7)
MASSACHUSETTS 20 48: 34 (907) +14 (21.6)
MICHIGAN 13 36: 13 (1033) + 23 (21.3)
MINNESOTA 2 9: 3 (1085) + 6 (22.1)
MISSISSIPPI 33 62: 12(1036) + 50 (18.7)
MISSOURI 9 27: 10 (1045) + 17 (21.5)
MONTANA 8 25: 18 (1009) + 7 (21.9)
NEBRASKA 5 20: 8 (1050) + 12 (21.7)
NEVADA 25 55: 31 (917) + 24 (21.3)
NEW HAMPSHIRE 11 30: 28 (935) + 2 (22.3)
NEW JERSEY 41 71:38 (898) + 34 (20.8)
NEW MEXICO 30 57: 17 (1015) + 40 (20.3)
NEW YORK 22 50: 42 (892) + 8 (21.9)
NORTH CAROLINA 49 96: 48 (865) + 48 (19.3)
NORTH DAKOTA 6 21: 1 (1107) + 20 (21.4)
OHIO 21 49: 24 (975) + 25 (21.3)
OKLAHOMA 23 53: 15 (1026) + 38 (20.6)
OREGON 10 28: 25 (947) + 3 (22.3)
PENNSYLVANIA 46 80: 47 (880) + 33 (21.0)
RHODE ISLAND 37 66: 45 (888) + 21 (21.4)
SOUTH CAROLINA 50 99: 50 (844) + 49 (18.9)
SOUTH DAKOTA 12 32: 6 (1068) + 26 (21.3)
TENNESSEE 30 57: 11 (1040) + 46 (19.7)
TEXAS 47 84: 41 (893) + 43 (20.2)
UTAH 7 22: 4 (1076) + 18 (21.5)
VERMONT 19 45: 36 (901) + 9 (21.9)
VIRGINIA 44 76: 39 (896) + 37 (20.7)
WASHINGTON 10 28: 27 (937) + 1 (22.4)
WEST VIRGINIA 43  75: 30 (932) + 45 (20.0)
WISCONSIN 2 9: 5 (1073) + 4 (22.3)
WYOMING 16 42: 20 (1001) + 22 (21.4)
  State Enlightenment Rankings