This year, Indiana ranked 11th in education, as well as economic well-being, the highest in a decade. (Unsplash)
A national report says Indiana is now the 25th best state for child well-being in the U.S., slightly up from 27th last year.
The Kids Count report from the youth philanthropy Annie E. Casey Foundation was released Tuesday. The report looks at factors such as money, health, education, family, and community data points for rankings. The Indiana Youth Institute leads the foundation’s research at the state level.
This year, Indiana ranked 11th in education, as well as economic well-being. It also improved in health, although that ranking is still 30th in the U.S. The state did not change in its 31st ranking for family and community.
“So we are seeing progress, but also a lot of opportunities to do better for the well-being of our kids and families,” said Ashley Haynes, Vice President of Data and Communications for the institute.
The institute also published statewide data in February.
Indiana Kids Count Data by Indiana Public Media News on Scribd
Education improves nationally, but struggles statewide
Indiana scored 11th nationally in education, the state’s highest ranking in a decade. However, benchmarks such as fourth grade reading and eighth grade math proficiency measured significantly worse.
“There was a lot of change and disruption during the 2020, 2021 time for kids and our young learners are still recovering from that,” Haynes said.
Data also found 60 percent of children do not attend preschool.
Read more: Gov. Braun signed these new education laws. Here's how they change Indiana's K-12 schools
Nationally, the report found that despite lower test scores, graduation rates are increasing. The same is true for Indiana, with only 12 percent of high school students not graduating on time.
Economic well-being best in a decade
Indiana’s economic well-being also ranked 11th nationally this year.
Employment for families with children improved. Only 5 percent of teens have to skip school to work, an improvement from 7 percent in 2019.
“We’re seeing the cost of housing go up, which can be a concern for those families that are looking to rent or own a home to raise their children,” said Indiana Youth Institute President and CEO Tami Silverman.
Obesity rates down in Indiana
Indiana’s health metrics placed the state as 30th in the U.S., up from 32nd last year.
A standout metric this year was a sharp decline in childhood obesity, now lower than the national average at 30 percent. There were also fewer children without health insurance.
Child and teen deaths went up, as did the number of low birthweight births.
“In the health area, it’s kind of a mixed bag and it tells us that in the areas we’re doing well, we need to maintain that momentum,” Silverman said. “And in the other areas we need to take a very serious look at what we’re doing and what we should be doing to make sure our kids are healthy.”
Family and community markers improve, despite stagnant ranking
Indiana stayed at its ranking of 31st in the nation for family and community. However, every data point improved.
There are fewer children in single-parent families, teen birth rates are down, fewer children are being raised in high-poverty areas, and families are more likely to have at least a high-school diploma education.
Haynes said this shows the state moving in the right direction.
“The fact that our ranking hasn't changed just may mean that other states and other kids are improving and growing in some of those areas quicker than we are in Indiana,” she said.
Haynes said this data is helpful for communities to assess what areas to focus on.
“A lot of youth-serving organizations use the Kids Count data to apply for grants for different services related to their kids,” she said. “So there's a lot of power in having access to the data and then breaking it down and then connecting that to the kids that live in our communities across the state.”
