“Any encyclopedia will tell you that Vermont produces more maple syrup, marble and monument granite than any other state,” said Scott Morgan, President of Morgan Quitno Press. “But the state also produces stellar students, thanks to its commitment to high quality elementary and secondary education.”

The Smartest State Award is based on 21 key elementary and secondary education indicators reported from Education State Rankings, an annual reference book that compares the 50 United States in hundreds of education-related categories. The revised, fifth edition of Education State Rankings was published this week. The 2006 award measures states based on factors including expenditures for instruction, pupil-teacher ratios, high school graduation and dropout rates, and reading, writing and math proficiency.

“Vermont performs very well in a number of important areas of education,” said Morgan. “A high percentage of the state’s students are proficient in reading and math. In addition, class sizes are small and the number of teachers per student is among the lowest in the nation.”

Rounding out the top five states with Vermont were Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and Maine. Bringing up the lower end of the rankings scale were Arizona in last place, preceded by Nevada, Mississippi, California and Alaska.

The Smartest State Award is one of six designations announced annually by Morgan Quitno Press. The company's other annual announcements designate the nation’s Safest and Most Dangerous City and Metro Area, the Most Livable State, the Healthiest State, the Safest and Most Dangerous States and Most Improved State. Each award or designation is based on data from annual Morgan Quitno reference publications.

Morgan Quitno Press is an independent private research and publishing company located in Lawrence, Kansas. Founded in 1989, the company specializes in reference books and monthly reports that compare states and cities in several different subject areas. The corporation is not a subsidiary of any other company nor is it subsidized by any outside interest group. Its books are found in reference libraries throughout the United States and around the world.

Additional information about the fifth annual Smartest State Award, including rankings for all 50 states, a list of factors used to determine the results and an explanation of methodology, is available directly from Morgan Quitno Press at www.statestats.com or by calling (785) 841-3534.

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