Low-income students in Maryland made more academic progress over an eight-year period than in any other state in the country, according to a new report.

Fourth- and eighth-grade students in Maryland eligible for free and reduced meals raised their reading and math scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress — the standardized test known as “the Nation’s Report Card” — by a combined 55 points between 2003 and 2011, according to a report by the advocacy and research organization Education Sector.