(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont and State Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona today announced that Connecticut’s K-12 schools have been ranked as the third best in the nation by Education Week in the annual edition of its Grading the States report. Connecticut’s ranking is an improvement of two spots from last year’s position of fifth in the nation.
The report, based on analysis by the Education Week Research Center, reviews how well the nation and the states do on assuring bright prospects for success over the course of a lifetime, how much they spend on schools and how fairly that money is distributed, and the outcomes reflected by indicators such as test scores and graduation rates.
“The success of our state is highly dependent upon the success of our schools, and I am proud that Connecticut’s schools rank among the best in the nation,” Governor Lamont said. “Much of what we are seeing in these rankings must be credited to the exemplary teachers in our state who have dedicated their careers toward improving the lives of our students. Our administration remains committed to strengthening all of the schools in our state so that every child – no matter their neighborhood or family income level – has an opportunity to receive an education that prepares them for achievement.”
“Connecticut’s Quality Counts ranking reflects that we are among the best in the nation in delivering on the promise of an equitable, quality public education for all students,” Commissioner Cardona said. “That’s a fact we must take pride in and use as motivation to continue our march towards reducing disparities, improving academic outcomes, and transforming the educational experiences of the more than 531,000 students in our schools.”
A state’s overall grade is the average of its scores on the three separate indices tracked by the report, which are school finance, chance-for-success, and K-12 achievement. Connecticut’s grades and rank in each category are as follows:
- Connecticut receives a B+ in School Finance and ranks fourth. Nationally, the average state earns a C.
- Connecticut earns a B+ in the Chance-for-Success category and ranks fourth. Nationally, the average state earns a C+.
- Connecticut receives a C in K-12 Achievement Index with an overall score of 75.2 out of 100 and ranks seventh. Nationally, the average state earns a C with a score of 73 out of 100.
Education Week is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to providing K-12 leaders in the U.S. with objective reporting on the news, trends, and events that shape the rapidly changing education landscape.