Are we as stupider as we once was?

Anyone who has lived here long enough to get stuck on the Spaghetti Bowl has heard that Nevadans are among the most poorly educated creatures in the nation. Critics tell us our public schools are atrocious.

We reply, “Atrocious? Why thank you." But, seriously, I’d like to have a dollar for every time I’ve heard or read about the broken-down nature of our public schools and our general state of lunkheadedness.

Alas, it turns out that ain’t as stupid as we once was.

According to the U.S. Census Statistical Abstract, in 2008 the national state average of high school graduates was 85 percent with 27.7 percent having a bachelor’s degree or more, and 10.2 percent with an advanced degree.

Nevada was indeed below the national average with 83.5 percent, 21.9 percent, and 7 percent.

But compare that to 1990, when we were at 78.8, 15.3, and 5.2 percent.

By 2000, we climbed to 80.7, 18.2, and 6.1 percent.

That doesn’t mean Nevada’s public education dilemma is less real, only that we are trending in the right direction. (Of course, many other states also showed gradual improvement. It may be a sign of improved census-taking.) We are ahead of Mississippi, Louisiana, California, Kentucky, Kansas, Arkansas, Alabama, New Mexico, Tennessee, West Virginia, and South Carolina. We’re hot on the tail of Rhode Island and New York.