California, Florida, Illinois, New York, and Texas have the five largest public school systems in the nation. Fourth- and eighth-grade public school students in these Mega-States usually scored lower than or not significantly different from their peers in the nation in the most recent NAEP assessments in reading, mathematics, and science, with the following exceptions:

• Florida fourth-graders scored higher than the nation in reading.
• New York fourth-graders scored higher than the nation in reading.
• Illinois eighth-graders scored higher than the nation in reading.

• Texas eighth-graders scored higher than the nation in math and science.

As policymakers and educators look at the nation’s changing demographics and explore ways to close achievement gaps, the educational progress of children in these states is of interest far beyond their state borders. That’s why the National Center for Education Statistics and the National Assessment Governing Board focused this special report on educational outcomes in the five largest states.

Slide 1: 
A map of the U.S highlights the 5 Mega-States and lists their respective regions:

• New York – Northeast
• Florida – South
• Illinois – Midwest
• Texas – Southwest
• California – West
  

Slide 2: 
The slide caption states that almost 40 percent of all students in the national attend schools in the Mega-States. A map of the U.S. highlights the 5 Mega-States and lists their student population information in millions:

• Total nation = 49.5
• New York = 2.7
• Florida = 2.6
• Illinois = 2.1
• Texas = 4.9
• California = 6.3

Slide 3: 
The slide caption states that 8 of the 10 largest cities in the nation are in the Mega-States. Starting with the largest, these cities are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego, Dallas, and San Jose. A call out box notes that the New York City School District is larger than the total student enrollment in 35 individual states.

Slide 4: 
The slide caption states that from 1990 to 2011, the percentage of White students decreased and the percentage of Hispanic students in the Mega-States increased. Vertical bar charts illustrate that the percentage of

• White students in
• The nation was 73 in 2009 and 54 in 2011.
• California was 52 in 2009 and 26 in 2011.
• Florida was 64 in 2009 and 45 in 2011.
•  Illinois was 70 in 2009 and 51 in 2011.
•  New York was 61 in 2009 and 51 in 2011.
• Texas was 50 in 2009 and 32 in 2011.
• Hispanic students in
• The nation was 7 in 2009 and 23 in 2011.
• California was 30 in 2009 and 52 in 2011
• Florida was 12 in 2009 and 27 in 2011.
• Illinois was 8 in 2009 and 24 in 2011.
• New York was 13 in 2009 and 22 in 2011.
• Texas was 32 in 2009 and 51 in 2011.

Slide 5: 
The slide caption states that the proportions of students from low income families in the Mega-States ranged from 41 to 54 percent in 2003 and from 49 to 64 percent in 2011. Vertical bar charts illustrate that the percentage of students from low income families in

• The nation was 44 in 2003 and 52 in 2011.
• California was 52 in 2003 and 58 in 2011.
• Florida was 49 in 2003 and 62 in 2011.
•  Illinois was 41 in 2003 and 49 in 2011.
•  New York was 50 in 2003 and 55 in 2011.
• Texas was 54 in 2003 and 64 in 2011.

Slide 6: 
The slide caption states that 55 percent of all English language learners (ELL) in the nation attend schools in the Mega-States. The total number of ELL students in the nation is 5,208,247, and the total number of ELL students in the Mega-States is 2,868,910. A pie chart illustrates the distribution of ELL students by Mega-State as follows:

• California has 1,467,989 ELL students, 28 percent of all ELL students in the nation.
• Texas has 726,823 ELL students, 14 percent of all ELL students in the nation.
• Florida has 260,202 ELL students, 5 percent of all ELL students in the nation.
• New York has 237,634 ELL students, 5 percent of all ELL students in the nation.
• Illinois has 176,262 ELL students, 3 percent of all ELL students in the nation.

All the other states combined have 45 percent of all ELL students in the nation.