Maine’s school rank 34th among all 50 states in the nation when it comes to education, according the 2023 Kids Count Data Book published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Maine’s Department of Health and Human Service Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew touted the report this week in an email to DHHS employees, noting that Maine ranked 12th in an overall measure that included child poverty, health care, and family health.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation is a philanthropic organization based in Baltimore that focuses on “developing a brighter future for millions of children and young people with respect to their educational, economic, social and health outcomes.”
The Kids Count Data Book, published every year, examines the well-being of children across four categories: “Economic Well-Being,” “Education,” “Health,” and “Family and Community.”
Despite ranking twelfth overall, Maine falls solidly into the bottom fifty-percent of the country in terms of education — a significant shift from 2018, when Maine ranked 19th in the same report.
When discussing the importance of providing children with a strong educational foundation, the report states that:
The early years of a child’s life lay the foundation for lifelong success. Establishing the conditions that promote educational achievement for children is critical, beginning with quality prenatal care and continuing through the early elementary years. With a strong and healthy beginning, children can more easily stay on track to remain in school and graduate on time, pursue post-secondary education and training and successfully transition to adulthood.
The report considered four factors when calculating the education ranking for each state, including the percentage of young children not in school, the percentage of fourth graders not proficient in reading, the percentage of eighth graders not proficient in math, and the percentage of high school students who are not graduating on time.
Generally speaking, compared to the national averages, fewer of Maine’s youngest children are in school, fewer of the state’s fourth graders are proficient in reading, and fewer of the state’s eighth graders are proficient in math.
Fifty-seven percent of three and four year olds in Maine are not school, a proportion that is three points higher than the percentage nationwide.
Based on data from 2022, 71 percent of fourth graders in Maine were not proficient in reading, representing a seven point increase over 2019. This is also three point higher than the nationwide percentage for 2022.
Similarly in 2022, 76 percent of eighth graders in the state were not proficient in math, two points more than the national percentage for the same year. This also represents a ten point increase in Maine compared to data from 2019.
Maine students, however, are doing slightly better than the rest of the country in terms of graduating high school on time.
While 14 percent of high school students nationwide are not on track to graduate with their peers, this is only true for 13 percent of high schoolers in Maine.
Below is a graphic from the report summarizing this data:
I remember when 0% of 3 and 4-year-olds were not in school, and the state and the country were better because of it.