For the fourth consecutive year, New Hampshire took the top spot in a national ranking of child well-being.
While that’s good news, Granite State children slid in the education category.
In 2024, nearly two-thirds of fourth-graders fell below proficient in reading, while 68 percent of eighth graders were not proficient in math, the analysis by The Annie E. Casey Foundation found.
“Research points to early childhood education as one of the most powerful levers for improving those outcomes, yet New Hampshire remains one of only six states in the country with no state investment in pre-K,” the organization New Futures said about the New Hampshire numbers.
The national evaluation of the well-being of children in each state relies on metrics in four different categories: economic well-being, education, health and family and community.
This year’s edition focused on how the measures have changed since 2019, the last year before the pandemic.
The resulting picture was a mixed bag.
Across the country, states saw the most progress on the frequency of births to teenagers and on the percentage of children living in “high-poverty” areas, which are both measures in the family and community category.
Unsurprisingly, the education category — which relies on test scores, high school graduation rates and pre-school enrollment — dropped the most.
The Granite State scored first in three of the four categories: economic well-being, health and family and community. It scored fourth on education, behind New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
In a statement, Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte celebrated New Hampshire’s continuing presence at the top of the rankings.
“It’s a testament to the work we have done together to support our schools, make childcare more affordable and protect access to critical services for our kids,” Ayotte said.
This year’s report relies on data from 2024, before Ayotte was governor.
In the overall rankings, states in New England took four of the top seven spots. Massachusetts came in second, behind New Hampshire.
New Hampshire was one of 15 states that improved on their 2019 scores.
Explore the report here:
