The states where K-12 students care most about doing well in school, ranked

School children interact with their teacher. Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images A study from the US health department shows which states' children are most engaged in school. The study surveyed 70,282 children's homework habits and care for their school performance. New Jersey saw the highest student engagement, while Alaska saw the lowest. As the back-to-school season approaches — or, in some states, has already begun — students, teachers, and parents are preparing for another year of hard work and focus on school. But the extent to which children care about learning varies across US states, according to a 2023-2024 study by the National Survey of Children's Health, a data collection program funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau. The analysis included responses from 70,282 children across the US between the ages of 6 and 17 and asked parents and guardians two questions: how often does this child care about doing well in school, and how often does this child do all the required homework? The answers were then reflected into three categories: "always," "usually," and "sometimes or never" engaged in school. Those categorized in "always" put that answer for both questions. Those in "usually" responded to both questions as "usually" or to one as "usually" and the other as "always." All remaining children were classified as "sometimes or never." Those in the Northeast, including New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania, had the largest shares of children reported as always engaged in school. Children in New Hampshire and Vermont, however, were among the least engaged; Alaska ranked last. Still, the findings offer a snapshot of how consistently caregivers say children are motivated and completing their schoolwork — not a direct measure of academic performance or school quality. Engagement can be shaped by many overlapping factors, like family routines, disability or mental health needs, school workload, chronic absenteeism, and access to tutoring or after-school care. The interpretation of "always" and "usually" may also vary by respondent. Here's how children ages 6 to 17 in every state and Washington, DC, fared. 51. Alaska Aerial view of downtown Fairbanks, Alaska, during a stormy summer sunset. Always engaged in school: 34.5% of children Usually engaged in school: 45.2% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 20.3% of children 50. Idaho Boise City, Idaho. Always engaged in school: 34.5% of children Usually engaged in school: 45.2% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 20.3% of children 49. New Hampshire Greenville, Always engaged in school: 34.9% of children Usually engaged in school: 45.7% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 19.4% of children 48. Always engaged in school: 34.9% of children Usually engaged in school: 41.3% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 23.8% of children 47. Montana Bozeman, /iStockphoto Always engaged in school: 35.4% of children Usually engaged in school: 40.5% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 24.1% of children 46. Vermont Stowe, Always engaged in school: 36.5% of children Usually engaged in school: 40.3% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 23.1% of children 45. Oregon Portland, Oregon. Always engaged in school: 36.9% of children Usually engaged in school: 39.7% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 23.4% of children 44. Wyoming Laramie is home to over 10,000 University of Wyoming students. /iStockphoto Always engaged in school: 37.6% of children Usually engaged in school: 41.6% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 20.8% of children 43. West Virginia Clarksburg, West Virginia. /iStockphoto Always engaged in school: 37.8% of children Usually engaged in school: 41.1% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 21.1% of children 42. Colorado Aurora, Colorado. /iStockphoto Always engaged in school: 38.7% of children Usually engaged in school: 42.1% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 19.2% of children 41. Indiana Indianapolis, Indiana. : Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Always engaged in school: 38.7% of children Usually engaged in school: 40.4% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 20.8% of children 40. Washington Seattle, Always engaged in school: 39.1% of children Usually engaged in school: 38.8% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 22.1% of children 39. Nevada Reno, Nevada. /iStockphoto Always engaged in school: 39.3% of children Usually engaged in school: 37.7% of childrents Sometimes or never engaged in school: 22.9% of children 38. Oklahoma Oklahoma City. Always engaged in school: 39.4% of children Usually engaged in school: 40.5% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 20.2% of children 37. Missouri St. Louis, Missouri. Always engaged in school: 39.5% of children Usually engaged in school: 39.1% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 21.4% of children 36. New Mexico Santa Fe, New Mexico. Always engaged in school: 39.8% of children Usually engaged in school: 39.3% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 20.9% of children 35. Minnesota St. Paul, Minnesota. Always engaged in school: 40.0% of children Usually engaged in school: 38.8% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 21.2% of children 34. Wisconsin Madison, Always engaged in school: 40.7% of children Usually engaged in school: 39.2% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 20.1% of children 33. Iowa Des Moines, Iowa. Always engaged in school: 41.1% of children Usually engaged in school: 39.2% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 19.7% of children 32. Maine Portland, /iStockphoto Always engaged in school: 41.1% of children Usually engaged in school: 37.9% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 21.0% of children 31. South Dakota Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Always engaged in school: 41.5% of children Usually engaged in school: 38.9% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 19.6% of children 30. Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia. Always engaged in school: 41.5% of children Usually engaged in school: 38.0% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 20.5% of children 29. North Carolina Winston-Salem, North Carolina. /iStockphoto Always engaged in school: 42.4% of children Usually engaged in school: 38.6% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 19.0% of children 28. North Dakota Bismarck, North Dakota. Always engaged in school: 42.7% of children Usually engaged in school: 39.4% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 17.9% of children 27. Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii. Always engaged in school: 43.0% of children Usually engaged in school: 42.0% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 15.0% of children 26. Kansas Lawrence, Kansas. /iStockphoto Always engaged in school: 43.0% of children Usually engaged in school: 39.2% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 17.8% of children 25. Nebraska Omaha, Nebraska. Always engaged in school: 43.0% of children Usually engaged in school: 40.2% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 16.8% of children 24. Maryland Cumberland, Maryland. Always engaged in school: 43.1% of children Usually engaged in school: 36.1% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 20.8% of children 23. Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan. Always engaged in school: 43.8% of children Usually engaged in school: 37.2% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 19.1% of children 22. South Carolina Charleston, South Carolina. /iStockphoto Always engaged in school: 43.9% of children Usually engaged in school: 34.3% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 21.8% of children 21. Georgia Atlanta, Georgia. Smith Collection/ Always engaged in school: 44.4% of children Usually engaged in school: 38.4% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 17.2% of children 20. Illinois Chicago, Illinois. Always engaged in school: 44.4% of children Usually engaged in school: 39.5% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 16.1% of children 19. Ohio Cleveland. Always engaged in school: 44.7% of children Usually engaged in school: 37.0% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 18.3% of children 18. Louisiana New Orleans, Louisiana. /iStockphoto Always engaged in school: 45.1% of children Usually engaged in school: 34.7% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 20.3% of children 17. Arkansas Little Rock, Arkansas. Always engaged in school: 45.6% of children Usually engaged in school: 33.1% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 21.3% of children 16. Kentucky Louisville, Kentucky. /iStockphoto Always engaged in school: 45.6% of children Usually engaged in school: 36.1% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 18.2% of children 15. Always engaged in school: 45.6% of children Usually engaged in school: 35.0% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 19.4% of children 14. Arizona Tucson is home to the University of Arizona. Always engaged in school: 45.8% of children Usually engaged in school: 34.7% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 19.4% of children 13. District of Columbia Washington, DC. Always engaged in school: 45.8% of children Usually engaged in school: 35.2% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 19.0% of children 12. Mississippi Jackson, Mississippi. Always engaged in school: 46.3% of children Usually engaged in school: 35.5% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 18.2% of children 11. California San Luis Obispo in California is home to over 23,000 students at California Polytechnic State University. /iStockphoto Always engaged in school: 46.4% of children Usually engaged in school: 36.3% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 17.2% of children 10. Alabama Mobile, Alabama. /iStockphoto Always engaged in school: 46.5% of children Usually engaged in school: 36.3% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 17.2% of children 9. Florida Tampa, Florida. /iStockphoto Always engaged in school: 46.6% of children Usually engaged in school: 36.0% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 17.4% of children 8. Rhode Island Providence, Rhode Island. /iStockphoto Always engaged in school: 46.8% of children Usually engaged in school: 35.9% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 17.3% of children 7. Connecticut New Haven, Connecticut. Always engaged in school: 47.0% of children Usually engaged in school: 34.6% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 18.4% of children 6. Always engaged in school: 47.0% of children Usually engaged in school: 34.7% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 18.3% of children 5. Tennessee Nashville, Tennessee. /iStockphoto Always engaged in school: 47.3% of children Usually engaged in school: 35.7% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 17.0% of children 4. Delaware Wilmington, Delaware. /iStockphoto Always engaged in school: 47.8% of children Usually engaged in school: 33.4% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 18.8% of children 3. Pennsylvania Gettysburg, Always engaged in school: 48.7% of children Usually engaged in school: 34.4% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 16.9% of children 2. Massachusetts Boston, Massachusetts. Always engaged in school: 48.8% of children Usually engaged in school: 34.6% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 16.5% of children 1. New Jersey Newark, New Jersey. Always engaged in school: 54.1% of children Usually engaged in school: 31.4% of children Sometimes or never engaged in school: 14.5% of children Read the original article on Business Insider

Read it at Business Insider ↗

← Front page