AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) Newly released results show students in Maine are scoring slightly above the national average on a recent test of national student achievement, but a gap remains among certain student populations.

The Portland Press Herald reports the results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress test released Wednesday shows students scoring at or slightly above national averages for fourth and eighth grade reading and math.

But results from the assessment of 8,900 students also documents an inconsistency among minority and economically disadvantaged students.

Fourth-grade students who did not qualify for free and reduced-price lunch scored on average 21 points higher on math and 22 points higher in reading than those who did. Among eighth graders, there was a 25-point gap in math and 18-point gap in reading between the two groups.