With only 11 states currently offering universal pre-K education, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2025's States with the Best & Worst Early Education Systems, as well as expert commentary.
In order to determine the best early education systems in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 12 key metrics. The data set ranges from the share of school districts that offer a state pre-K program to the number of pre-K quality benchmarks met and total reported spending per child enrolled in pre-K.
| States with the Best Early Education Systems | States with the Worst Early Education Systems | |
| 1. Maryland | 42. Indiana | |
| 2. District of Columbia | 43. Hawaii | |
| 3. Arkansas | 44. Minnesota | |
| 4. New Jersey | 45. Wyoming | |
| 5. New Mexico | 46. North Dakota | |
| 6. Oregon | 47. Massachusetts | |
| 7. West Virginia | 48. Idaho | |
| 8. South Carolina | 49. Montana | |
| 9. Vermont | 50. New Hampshire | |
| 10. Michigan | 51. Missouri |
Best vs. Worst
- 15 states, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma and South Carolina, have the highest share of school districts that offer a state pre-K program, which is 6.5 times higher than in Alaska, the state with the lowest.
- The District of Columbia has the highest share of 4-year-olds enrolled in pre-K, pre-K Special Education or Head Start programs, which is 8.6 times higher than in Idaho, the state with the lowest.
- Connecticut has the highest income requirement for state pre-K eligibility, which is 4.1 times higher than in Washington, which has one of the lowest.
- The District of Columbia has the highest total spending per child enrolled in preschool, which is 8.3 times higher than in Florida, which has one of the lowest.
- The District of Columbia, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Vermont and Idaho have some of the lowest monthly child care co-payment fees (as a share of family income), which is ten times lower than in Kentucky and North Carolina, the states with the highest.
To view the full report and your state’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/
“The more that states invest in early education, and the more accessible they make those programs, the more they will benefit in the future. Having access to quality early education gives students a jump start that can improve their future performance in school, as well as lead to better job opportunities and higher earnings in the long-term. A better-educated, higher-earning population will in turn bring economic benefits back to the state.”
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“Maryland is the state with the best early education system, in part because they had the 15th-highest increase in enrollment between the 2001-2002 and 2023-2024 school years, at 5%. In addition to having a statewide school safety plan, it also requires regular audits to make sure everything is in line. Finally, Maryland has the fourth-highest spending per child enrolled in preschool, at $17,262.”
- Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst
Expert Commentary
What are the most important factors that influence a child’s educational development?
“Decades of research have shown that outside-of-school influences outweigh in-school factors like teaching and curriculum. So, things like home environment, nutrition, and family stability and support are really important in determining whether a child will be successful in school. Of course, not all children have equal access to good support systems outside of school. So education – and especially early education – is a crucial if imperfect way of helping all students succeed.”
Christopher Lubienski, PhD – Director, Center for Evaluation & Education Policy; Professor, Indiana University
“Developmentally appropriate learning opportunities, engaged and supportive parents, experienced teachers, good fit between child and educational program.”
Robert Crosnoe – Senior Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts; Professor, The University of Texas at Austin
Is education spending a direct measure of education quality?
“Money matters, a lot. But it’s not a perfect predictor of school quality or success. A lot depends on how the money is spent. That said, a lack of funding is often an insurmountable obstacle to quality education. That’s why rich families don’t send their kids to poorly-funded schools.”
Christopher Lubienski, PhD – Director, Center for Evaluation & Education Policy; Professor, Indiana University
“Spending is a necessary, but not sufficient, ingredient. It lays the foundation, but the teaching and learning have to be built on that foundation.”
Robert Crosnoe – Senior Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts; Professor, The University of Texas at Austin
What can state and local policymakers do to improve their school systems without raising taxes?
“They can equalize funding. Research shows that countries with more equitable education systems have better outcomes overall, largely because poorer students do better when their schools get more resources.”
Christopher Lubienski, PhD – Director, Center for Evaluation & Education Policy; Professor, Indiana University
“Listen to teachers and educators, make sure that the funds that do exist are not hoarded in some areas or misappropriated, ground decision-making in evidence, and understand that early childhood education requires a different approach than K-12 education, involve communities.”
Robert Crosnoe – Senior Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts; Professor, The University of Texas at Austin
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