BATON ROUGE—The Louisiana Department of Education said Monday that Louisiana's education system was at the top of a list ranking how states improved their education systems.

Louisiana ranked fourth in the national study, which revisited the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress. The study seeks to measure how well students score based on demographically similar students around the country.

Louisiana's performance grew more than any other state and is one of nine states to improve by more than 10 points. The state's fourth and eighth graders placed fifth in math performance, while the state's fourth and eighth graders ranked fourth and second in reading, respectively.

Other states in the top five are Florida, Texas, Mississippi and Massachusetts. Louisiana ranked 20th overall when the assessment was last given in 2019.

“Louisiana is laser-focused on a back-to-basics approach that drives student outcomes and gives teachers the support they need to be at their best,” Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley said. “We’re proud of the progress made, but far from satisfied. Our state is poised to accelerate if we can continue to make the type of brave decisions that move us forward.”