KANSAS (KNS/KCUR) – Kansas ranks 26th in the nation for education. That’s according to the latest Kids Count Data Book. Missouri ranks 22nd.
The annual child wellness report says about 70% of fourth graders in both Kansas and Missouri were not proficient in reading. Ryan Reza, a policy analyst for Kansas Action for Children, says the numbers are a warning sign. “It’s really important to kind of look and analyze that data early, so that states and agencies and organizations can and kind of get the students caught up as fast as we can,” he said.
The report also found that more than 75% of Kansas and Missouri eighth graders were not proficient in math. That’s an increase from the previous year.
Reza says students struggled to learn complex subject matter virtually during the pandemic.
