A new report came out showing that Washington state gets a failing grade on a new education report card. The Education Freedom Report Card put out by a DC-based think tank measured four broad categories – school choice, transparency, regulatory freedom, and spending – across more than two dozen separate and distinct factors. Still, Seattle ranks high where it matters in other important areas.
Washington state is ranked No. 43 out of all 50 states and the District of Columbia in a new “Education Freedom Report Card” put out by the conservative Heritage Foundation. Washington state ranked low in three out of the four broad categories.
Idaho, a more conservative state, came in at No. 3 overall on the report card, “in large part to a strong ROI for taxpayer dollars and high levels of transparency to parents.”
The 10 best states in terms of economic freedom according to the report card:
1. Florida
2. Arizona
3. Idaho
4. Indiana
5. South Dakota
6. Mississippi
7. West Virginia
8. Montana
9. Louisiana
10. Tennessee
The 10 worst states in terms of economic freedom:
51. District of Columbia
50. New York
49. New Jersey
48. Maryland
47. Massachusetts
46. Connecticut
45. Alaska
44. Rhode Island
43. Washington
42. Illinois
Yet and still, Seattle Public Schools are highly rated. The public schools system has 53,973 students in grades PK, K-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1. According to state test scores, 64% of students are at least proficient in math and 72% in reading.
The United States Census Bureau surveys indicate that Seattle has one of the highest rates of college graduates among major U.S. cities. In addition to the regular institutions of education, there are significant adult literacy programs and considerable homeschooling. The Seattle/Bellevue/Tacoma area is one of the most educated in the country, according to a new report from WalletHub.
