Of the 16 districts that had lower percentages of students at or above Basic compared to national public, at least one student group in three of the districts (Charlotte, Houston, and Miami-Dade) had higher percentages at or above Basic than their peers nationally.
Comparison of the percentage of eighth-graders at or above Basic in districts and national public schools in NAEP science, by selected student groups: 2009
NOTE: Black includes African American, Hispanic includes Latino, and Pacific Islander includes Native Hawaiian. Race categories exclude Hispanic origin. See complete data for students overall, White students, Black students, Hispanic students, Asian/Pacific Islander students, students eligible for the National School Lunch Program, and students not eligible for the National School Lunch Program.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Science Assessment.