Virginia students outpaced their Maryland rivals on federal science standards that experts say predict not just which kids will become rocket scientists, but who can function in society. Even though Virginia’s average scores squashed the nation’s, a large percentage of both states’ students scored “below basic” on the test known as the Nation’s Report Card, painting a dismal picture of science education in the U.S.

Fourth-graders in Virginia earned an average score of 162 on the 300-point National Assessment of Educational Progress, beating Maryland’s 150 score and the nation’s 149, and surpassing every other state but New Hampshire. Sixteen percent of commonwealth students scored “below basic,” alongside Maryland’s 28 percent and the nation’s 29 percent.