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Illinois finished 17th best in a new pre-kindergarten education study from the website 24/7 Wall St. that examines such criteria as public spending on pre-K programs, total enrollments and fourth-grade reading proficiency.
In the analysis, which examines data from the National Institute of Early Childhood Education Research and the Census Bureau, Illinois was found to have an early-education participation rate among 3- and 4-year-olds of 53.7 percent, total state pre-K spending of $428.3 million in 2020 and a public spending level of $5,885 per pre-K student.
The fourth-grade reading proficiency rate in the state was pegged at 34.4 percent, according to 24/7 Wall St.
The amount the state spends on pre-K programs is higher than all but four other states, according to the analysis. The spending per pupil, however, is closer to the U.S. average for pre-K spending, 24/7 Wall St. reported, and Illinois is among only 12 states where more than 50 percent of all 3- and 4-year-olds are enrolled in early childhood education.
Nationwide, annual pre-K spending averaged $6,329 per pupil, while the participation rate of 3- and 4-year-olds in early childhood education programs is 46.2 percent, the researchers found. Quality, accessibility and public spending levels, however, vary among the 50 states, according to 24/7 Wall St.
Among those children attending pre-K programs, just over 40 percent of them were enrolled in private programs, and nearly 60 percent took part in publicly funded instruction, the study found.
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Which States Have the Best Pre-K Programs?
Rank | State | % of 3- to 4-year-olds in Pre-K | Annual State Pre-K Spending | State Pre-K Spending per Pre-K student | 4th-graders Proficient in Reading |
1 | New Jersey | 64.0% | $781.5 million | $14,103 | 41.9% |
2 | Vermont | 68.3% | $60.1 million | $7,821 | 37.1% |
3 | Rhode Island | 47.9% | $13.8 million | $10,650 | 35.4% |
4 | Delaware | 53.0% | $6.1 million | $7,277 | 32.5% |
5 | Connecticut | 60.7% | $126 million | $8,478 | 40.1% |
6 | Pennsylvania | 42.2% | $333.9 million | $6,849 | 39.7% |
7 | Washington | 48.8% | $132.2 million | $9,443 | 35.1% |
8 | Maine | 48.5% | $23.9 million | $8,392 | 36.0% |
9 | Massachusetts | 56.8% | $105.8 million | $3,705 | 45.4% |
10 | Nebraska | 45.6% | $28 million | $8,986 | 36.8% |
11 | Hawaii | 51.6% | $6.7 million | $9,886 | 33.8% |
12 | Mississippi | 53.7% | $6.7 million | $5,704 | 31.5% |
13 | North Carolina | 44.3% | $166.3 million | $10,122 | 36.0% |
14 | Minnesota | 47.4% | $51.7 million | $7,177 | 38.1% |
15 | Iowa | 45.7% | $94 million | $3,692 | 35.1% |
16 | Oklahoma | 43.0% | $196.7 million | $9,404 | 28.5% |
17 | Illinois | 53.7% | $428.3 million | $5,885 | 34.4% |
18 | Maryland | 48.2% | $158.1 million | $8,780 | 35.1% |
19 | New York | 53.5% | $834.2 million | $7,036 | 34.3% |
20 | Alabama | 42.6% | $122.8 million | $8,926 | 28.2% |
21 | Oregon | 42.6% | $96.3 million | $10,164 | 33.8% |
22 | Michigan | 44.6% | $249.6 million | $6,680 | 31.6% |
23 | New Hampshire | 58.0% | $0 | $0 | 38.2% |
24 | Virginia | 48.3% | $75.7 million | $7,239 | 38.3% |
25 | New Mexico | 42.1% | $88.5 million | $7,334 | 23.7% |
26 | Colorado | 50.6% | $70.5 million | $5,434 | 39.7% |
27 | West Virginia | 31.0% | $96.8 million | $10,313 | 30.3% |
28 | Kentucky | 35.2% | $105.1 million | $8,151 | 35.1% |
29 | Arkansas | 46.1% | $114 million | $9,026 | 31.2% |
30 | Tennessee | 38.1% | $82.4 million | $5,734 | 34.6% |
31 | Georgia | 48.1% | $377 million | $4,694 | 32.2% |
32 | Missouri | 44.5% | $22.1 million | $3,208 | 34.2% |
33 | Ohio | 45.9% | $71.5 million | $4,000 | 36.1% |
34 | California | 47.1% | $1.9 billion | $8,037 | 32.1% |
35 | Florida | 50.6% | $400.3 million | $2,401 | 37.7% |
36 | Utah | 42.5% | $6.9 million | $3,074 | 40.0% |
37 | Nevada | 37.7% | $19.7 million | $8,476 | 30.9% |
38 | Louisiana | 48.6% | $92.8 million | $4,623 | 25.7% |
39 | Kansas | 48.8% | $26.6 million | $2,085 | 33.8% |
40 | Wisconsin | 35.4% | $179 million | $6,200 | 35.5% |
41 | Alaska | 47.3% | $7.3 million | $5,212 | 25.1% |
42 | Wyoming | 31.9% | $0 | $0 | 40.6% |
43 | Texas | 40.3% | $842.2 million | $3,693 | 30.3% |
44 | South Carolina | 37.8% | $86 million | $3,216 | 31.8% |
45 | Indiana | 40.5% | $0 | $0 | 37.0% |
46 | Arizona | 38.5% | $19.2 million | $3,686 | 31.4% |
47 | South Dakota | 40.7% | $0 | $0 | 36.0% |
48 | North Dakota | 31.8% | $650,659 | $527 | 34.3% |
49 | Montana | 36.8% | $0 | $0 | 36.4% |
50 | Idaho | 31.6% | $0 | $0 | 37.4% |