A national report on childhood well-being ranks Ohio 16th in the nation for the education of its kids.
The annual Kids Count report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation ranks states based on outcomes for children in the areas of health, education and economics.
Overall, Ohio ranks 25 in the nation for childhood well-being, and 16th for education. That measurement includes scores based on the number of 3-and 4-year-olds attending school and test scores for Ohio fourth and eighth graders, as well as graduation rates. And those numbers have either remained the same or only minimally increased since 2009.
Tracy Najera, with an Ohio affiliate of the national foundation, says the state’s education ranking looks high, but the stagnant numbers behind it tell a different story.
“We also have to keep in mind that our position in that ranking also depends on, you know, the performance of other states," Najera said. "So, as other states are maybe dropping in performance, maybe that raises our performance and our ranking, makes us look better.”
Najera says there’s always room for improvement, especially when 17 percent of Ohio high school seniors aren’t graduating on time.
