Education

Maryland Has the Best Early Education System in America, Per Study

With only 11 states currently offering universal pre-K education, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2025’s States with the Best & Worst Early Education Systems, with Maryland ranked #1 in the country for best early education system.


In order to determine the best early education systems in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 12 key metrics. The data set ranges from the share of school districts that offer a state pre-K program to the number of pre-K quality benchmarks met and total reported spending per child enrolled in pre-K. Quality of Early Education in Maryland (1=Best; 25=Avg.):

  • Overall Rank: 1st
  • 23rd – Share of 3- and 4-year-olds Enrolled in pre-K, pre-K Special Education and Head Start
  • 1st – Income Requirement for State Pre-K Eligibility
  • 1st – Total Reported Spending per Child Enrolled in Preschool
  • 13th – Total State Head Start Program Spending per Child Enrolled in Preschool
  • 27th – Monthly Child Care Co-Payment Fees as a Percent of Family Income

Maryland was ranked 9th in the country for “best school system” overall in a report released earlier this month. For the full report on best and worst early education systems, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-the-best-and-worst-early-education-systems/62668