91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ

States From Our Research Center

Quality Counts 2015: State and National Highlights Reports

The Quality Counts 2015 Highlights Reports capture all of the data you need to assess your state’s performance in key areas. The information is presented in a series of charts and graphs, and includes comparisons to national averages. You won’t want to miss your state’s data, so download your copy now:

State Highlights Reports are available for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia and compare individual state data to national data. The National Highlights Report includes the national average and data for the top and bottom states.

Your Report Includes

State Summative Grades

Chance for Success Index (2015)

K-12 Achievement (2014)

School Finance (2015)

Special for Quality Counts 2015

Early 91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Index state grades (2015)

  • Preschool and kindergarten enrollment rates
  • Preschool enrollment rate gains
  • Preschool poverty gap and poverty gap changes
  • Full-day preschool and kindergarten enrollment rates
  • Head Start participation

National data on early education enrollment by

  • Age
  • Family income
  • Ethnicity/race
  • Public versus private programs

You may also like reports from previous years:


About These Reports

The 19th annual edition of Quality Counts resumes 91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Week’s long-standing tradition of grading the states on their performance. This year, those grades return in a newer, leaner form that focuses on outcomes rather than on policy and processes. A state’s overall grade is the average of its scores on the three separate indices tracked by the report. These legacy indices are Chance-for-Success (updated in 2015); K12 Achievement (updated in 2014); and school finance (updated in 2015). State Highlights Reports contain each jurisdiction’s data on the summative grades, the three indices and the nearly 40 indicators that comprise Quality Counts’ overall grading rubric.

This year’s report also focuses on early-childhood education as its special theme, examining how new academic demands and accountability pressures are altering the learning environment for young children and the educators serving them. For this year’s report, the 91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Week Research Center issued state and national grades for a new Early 91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Index, which draws on an original analysis of participation in early-education programs, poverty-based gaps in enrollment, and trends over time.

Overall findings from Quality Counts show that some states perform consistently well or poorly across the full range of graded categories. However, a closer examination of the results reveals that most states post a strong showing in at least one area. This suggests that while broad evaluations of state rankings and performance can be useful, a deeper reading of the results presented in this State Highlights Report will provide a more nuanced perspective on the educational condition of the nation and the states.

National Highlights Report

91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Nation Earns a C on Quality Counts' New State Report Card
January 3, 2015
1 min read

State Highlights Reports (in Alphabetical Order)

91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Alaska Earns a C on State Report Card, Ranks 26th in Nation
January 3, 2015
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91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Arizona Earns a D-Plus on State Report Card, Ranks 47th in Nation
January 3, 2015
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91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Colorado Earns a C on State Report Card, Ranks 21st in Nation
January 3, 2015
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91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Delaware Earns a C-Plus on State Report Card, Ranks 15th in Nation
January 3, 2015
1 min read
91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Florida Earns a C on State Report Card, Ranks 28th in Nation
January 3, 2015
1 min read
91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Georgia Earns a C-Minus on State Report Card, Ranks 31st in Nation
January 3, 2015
1 min read
91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Hawaii Earns a C on State Report Card, Ranks 23rd in Nation
January 3, 2015
1 min read
91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Idaho Earns a D-Plus on State Report Card, Ranks 46th in Nation
January 3, 2015
1 min read
91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Illinois Earns a C on State Report Card, Ranks 17th in Nation
January 3, 2015
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91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Indiana Earns a C on State Report Card, Ranks 25th in Nation
January 3, 2015
1 min read
91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Iowa Earns a C on State Report Card, Ranks 24th in Nation
January 3, 2015
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91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Kansas Earns a C on State Report Card, Ranks 20th in Nation
January 3, 2015
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91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Kentucky Earns a C on State Report Card, Ranks 29th in Nation
January 3, 2015
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91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Maine Earns a C-Plus on State Report Card, Ranks 14th in Nation
January 3, 2015
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91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Maryland Earns a B on State Report Card, Ranks Third in Nation
January 3, 2015
1 min read
91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Mississippi Earns a D on State Report Card, Ranks 51st in Nation
January 3, 2015
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91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Montana Earns a C on State Report Card, Ranks 30th in Nation
January 3, 2015
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91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Nebraska Earns a C on State Report Card, Ranks 22nd in Nation
January 3, 2015
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91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Nevada Earns a D on State Report Card, Ranks 50th in Nation
January 3, 2015
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91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ New Jersey Earns a B on State Report Card, Ranks Second in Nation
January 3, 2015
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91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ New Mexico Earns a D on State Report Card, Ranks 49th in Nation
January 3, 2015
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91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Ohio Earns a C on State Report Card, Ranks 18th in Nation
January 3, 2015
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91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Oklahoma Earns a D-Plus on State Report Card, Ranks 48th in Nation
January 3, 2015
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91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Oregon Earns a C-Minus on State Report Card, Ranks 41st in Nation
January 3, 2015
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91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Texas Earns a C-Minus on State Report Card, Ranks 39th in Nation
January 3, 2015
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91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Utah Earns a C-Minus on State Report Card, Ranks 35th in Nation
January 3, 2015
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91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Vermont Earns a B on State Report Card, Ranks Fourth in Nation
January 3, 2015
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91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Virginia Earns a C-Plus on State Report Card, Ranks 12th in Nation
January 3, 2015
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91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Washington Earns a C on State Report Card, Ranks 19th in Nation
January 3, 2015
1 min read
91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ West Virginia Earns a C on State Report Card, Ranks 27th in Nation
January 3, 2015
1 min read

In March 2024, 91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Week announced the end of the Quality Counts report after 25 years of serving as a comprehensive K-12 education scorecard. In response to new challenges and a shifting landscape, we are refocusing our efforts on research and analysis to better serve the K-12 community. For more information, please go here for the full context or learn more about the EdWeek Research Center.