BOSTON (WHDH) - With students heading back to school, whether that be remotely or in-person, a recent study found that Massachusetts has the fifth-worst early education system in the nation.
WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 12 key metrics, including share of school districts that offer a state pre-K program, number of pre-K quality benchmarks met and total reported spending per child enrolled in pre-K, and found that the Bay State placed 48th in the quality ranking and 43rd in the access ranking.
Massachusetts tied with several other states for the lowest income requirement for state pre-k eligibility and the fifth-highest monthly child care co-payment fees as a percent of family income.
The District of Columbia has the best early education system overall, according to the study, followed by Nebraska, Maryland, West Virginia, Arkansas, Vermont, and Rhode Island.
Indiana ranked as the worst overall, followed by Missouri, North Dakota, and Arizona.
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