Kansas public schools earn a D grade in achievement levels, according to Education Week. The source of education news grades states on a variety of performance measures each December. In 2016, Kansas ranked 27th overall in all school performance measures and 28th in K-12 achievement. The state ranks 50th in improvement over time.
Each year, Education Week examines 18 different categories–including reading and math performance and high school graduation rates–in three different indexes to arrive at a score and grade for each state. Kansas’ scores earn the state a C grade overall. However, the state earns a D in K-12 achievement. That’s also the national average grade for K-12 achievement.
In that category, Massachusetts and New Jersey earn the highest marks of a B and a B-minus, respectively. No other states earned grades higher than a C-plus in K-12 achievement.
Massachusetts and New Jersey top the list in overall education performance measures. Vermont, New Hampshire and Maryland round out the top five. Nevada earned the survey’s lowest grade. It was slightly bested by Mississippi, New Mexico, Idaho, and Oklahoma, which round out the bottom five states.
Three of Kansas’ surrounding states perform better than Kansas, according to Education Week researchers. Iowa ranked 17th, Nebraska ranked 19th, Colorado ranked 26th–one spot higher than Kansas’ 27th. Missouri ranked 31st.
Kansas’ highest scores are under the category of chances for success. The Sunflower State earned a B-minus, or an 80 percent, beating the national average of C-plus. The Chance for Success Index attempts to measure the role of education throughout a person’s life. Kansas earned its highest score, a B-plus, for its efforts in early education.
The state earned a C-minus in school finance, or 29th, slightly lower than the national average of a C. In its finance index, researchers gave Kansas an ‘F’ in spending, but a B in equity to give the state its C-minus.
