Report: Indiana Has the Worst Early Education System in America

(UNDATED) – While good elementary schools, high schools, and colleges are important factors for parents to consider when choosing where to settle down, the availability of quality pre-K education is just as crucial.

A study by the National Institute for Early Education Research showed that students enrolled in full-day pre-K programs do better on math and literacy tests than their peers who attend only partial day preschool. In addition, those who attend pre-K programs have been shown to have less risk of future crime than those who do not. Plus, pre-K programs may generate billions of dollars for the economy over a few decades, due to lessening the need for social services and creating more productive citizens.

To help parents find the states with the best early education systems, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 12 key metrics, including share of school districts that offer a state pre-K program, number of pre-K quality benchmarks met and total reported spending per child enrolled in pre-K.

Quality of Early Education in Indiana (1=Best; 25=Avg.):

• 46^th – Share of 3- and 4-year-olds Enrolled in pre-K, pre-K Special Education, and Head Start
• 46^th – Total Reported Spending per Child Enrolled in Preschool
• 27^th – Monthly Child Care Co-Payment Fees as a Percent of Family Income
• 44^th – Pre-K Program Growth
• 51^st – Change in State Spending per Child Enrolled in Preschool (2016-17 to 2017-18)

States with the Best & Worst Early Education Systems

Overall Rank	State	Total Score	‘Access’ Rank	‘Quality’ Rank	‘Resources & Economic Support’ Rank
1	Nebraska	71.49	4	2	23
2	District of Columbia	70.47	1	20	11
3	Maryland	65.85	10	3	22
4	Vermont	64.52	2	43	12
5	Arkansas	64.20	19	1	16
6	West Virginia	62.28	6	10	19
7	Rhode Island	60.66	27	6	2
8	Illinois	55.13	3	42	24
9	Alaska	54.91	32	20	1
10	Kentucky	54.71	9	15	32
11	New Jersey	54.61	12	23	10
12	Connecticut	54.49	14	14	15
13	South Carolina	54.32	11	12	38
14	Wisconsin	54.19	5	39	28
15	Oklahoma	52.99	7	34	27
16	Washington	52.59	16	16	13
17	Tennessee	52.32	15	12	35
18	Iowa	51.94	8	33	30
19	Michigan	51.02	20	24	9
20	Alabama	50.32	42	6	17
21	Delaware	50.25	18	22	14
22	Virginia	49.14	47	4	31
23	Texas	48.80	36	5	47
24	Maine	47.73	13	34	34
25	California	46.47	26	38	7
25	Georgia	46.47	39	8	39
27	Ohio	46.05	22	17	43
28	Oregon	44.88	43	18	5
29	North Carolina	44.57	44	9	29
30	Nevada	43.31	24	47	8
31	Montana	42.89	30	47	4
32	Louisiana	42.76	45	11	25
33	Hawaii	41.74	21	43	37
34	Florida	41.50	29	24	46
35	Colorado	41.31	38	19	36
36	Wyoming	41.13	25	24	40
37	South Dakota	40.54	28	24	40
38	Pennsylvania	39.97	46	40	3
39	New Mexico	39.54	41	34	18
40	Utah	39.02	33	24	40
41	Idaho	38.02	34	24	45
42	New Hampshire	37.39	31	24	48
43	New York	37.05	40	43	20
44	Minnesota	36.71	49	41	6
45	Arizona	34.77	48	32	26
46	Kansas	33.67	17	49	49
47	Massachusetts	33.08	37	46	50
48	North Dakota	32.54	23	50	33
49	Missouri	29.90	35	51	21
50	Mississippi	29.70	50	34	44
51	Indiana	17.54	51	24	51