While I agree that Vermont is generally pretty good, I don't actually think it's that far outside the median. For example, in the US News ranking you linked to,

While I agree that Vermont is generally pretty good, I don't actually think it's that far outside the median. For example, in the US News ranking you linked to, Vermont is ranked 18th. [0] That being said, I do agree there are large inequalities in education between states. I certainly don't think most US high school graduates are fluent in 3 or 4 languages. Heck, I'm not. But that's a far cry from claiming that "Almost no one graduating in the US would have even one of these skills." Some large states actually have decent enough education that I'd expect their students to at least pass half the skill list. [0] http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/articles/how-states-compare http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/articles/h...