Prairie State Wire

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%

Source: 24/7 Wall St.