The 1999 report, issued on the tenth anniversary of the Charlottesville, VA, gathering of America s governors and then-President Bush, ranked Maine a high performing state across the eight goals after examining the state s performance on a host of indicators. A 1997 study by Forbes Magazine revealed that, in a nationwide comparison of the states, Maine gets the biggest bang for its education buck. Eighth graders also placed first in the nation, along with North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Montana, and Iowa, in Mathematics on the 1996 test. Behavior problems are low.
Attendance is high.
In 1997, Maine had the second best ranking in infant mortality rates with a low of 5.1 per 1,000 births compared to the national average of 7.2 per 1,000 births. This unusually low mortality rate is one indicator that Maine has in place many practices that give children a healthy start on life. Maine has the 4 th best rate in the country of health insurance for children. This public health practice adds significantly to the well-being of Maine children. Maine ranked second in the composite data for the 1997 Kids Count indicators that assess trends in children s scholastic achievement, mental and physical well-being, and economic status.