NAEP Science report

Gender, Ethnic Gaps Revealed in Science Assessment
The results are in for the latest National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) in science, and those results are grim, especially at the 12th grade, where 40 percent of students failed to attain even a "basic" level of proficiency. The test also revealed an enormous gap between the lowest- and highest-performing ethnic groups, as well as smaller but still significant gaps in achievement between males and females.
National Assessment of Education Progress. 2010). Nation's report card: Science 2009. Washington, DC: US Dept. of Education.
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2011451