The 10 Worst US States For Education

The quality of education students receive in school is very important in determining their future, that’s why former US president signed the No Child Left Behind Act which was later amended by President Barrack Obama as the Every Student Succeeds Act. The US News recently released a report ranking the states in terms of the quality of education. Education was ranked based on Pre- K- 12 and Higher Education. Pre- K- 12 summarizes the education of a child from pre-school to high school while higher education refers to post high school education. The report placed similar weight on both educations systems.

College Readiness

The survey considered several factors when ranking the states including the ACT. The College readiness test is used by institutions of higher learning to determine the strengths of students in science, English, math, and reading. In 2017, two million students who graduated from high school took the ACT. The SAT on the other had assess students on Math and evidenced writing and reading. Approximately 62 percent of those who seat for the SAT and ACT pass the tests.

High School Graduation Rate

To create a precise account of a state’s success in graduating high school students. The report took a longitudinal look at the number of students admitted to the ninth grade and compared it to the number of students who successfully graduated from the 12^th grade.

NAEP Math Scores

A random selection is conducted on students in the 8th grade to determine the math and reading proficiency. The U.S. Department of Education tests the students through the National Assessment of Educational Progress and builds the national scorecard out of the results. The tests score ranges from 0-500.

Preschool Enrollment

The Early childhood education (ECE) program is the foundation of education for every child. The preschool enrollment metric accounts students below the age five who are enrolled in preschool or nursery program

The 10 Worst US States For Education

By factoring in the above variables, the report concluded that New Mexico had the worst education system in the country. The state was ranked last in Pre- K- 12 and 20^th in higher education. Louisiana ranked the second last. The state ranked 42^nd in higher learning and 45^th in Pre- K- 12. South Carolina and Alabama ranked 3^rd and 4^th respectively. South Carolina ranked 43^rd in Pre- K -12 and 48^th in higher education while Alabama ranked 39^th and 49^th respectively.Mississippi and West Virginia ranked fifth and sixth. Mississippi had the fourth worst Pre- K -12 but its higher education ranked 30^th. West Virginia ranked 41^st in Pre-K-12 and 43^rd in higher education. Nevada and Arizona ranked seventh and eighth respectively. Arizona had the third worst Pre- K -12 while Nevada was a spot higher, while Arizona’s higher education ranked nineteenth Nevada’s ranked thirteenth. Arkansas and Ohio ranked ninth and tenth respectively. Arkansas ranked 38^th in Pre- K -12 while Ohio ranked 36^th, the states ranked 37^th and 41^st in higher education.

Best US States For Education

Massachusetts was ranked the best state for education in the US. It had the best Pre-K- 12, but its higher education ranked 29^th. New Jersey ranked second, its Pre-K-12 ranked 3^rd while the higher education ranked 28^th. Utah ranked third with the second best higher education after Florida and 20^th Pre-K- 12. New Hampshire ranked 2^nd in Pre-K-12 but had the 7^th worst higher education. Iowa ranked fifth, both the higher education and Pre-K-12 were ranked eighth.