Minnesota Schools Earn C+ On National Quality Report Card

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Minnesota schools score just above average when compared to those of other states, according to a newly-released Quality Counts report card.

The report, released last week by the newspaper Education Week, slaps Minnesota with a C+ grade (with a total score, on a 100-point scaled, of 79.3). The national average is a C (74.2).

Minnesota ranked No. 11 on the national list, just ahead of Wisconsin, which also scored a C+. The top spot went to Massachusetts, which has remained the highest achiever on the report for three years in a row.

The grades for each state are based on three central criteria: (1) a school finance analysis, (2) a K-12 Achievement Index and (3) a Chance-for-Success Index.

Minnesota scored best on the Chance-for-Success Index, earning a B grade (86). Education Week said the state ranks third in the nation when it comes to getting children off to a strong start and says Minnesota ranks sixth when it comes to adult career outcomes.

As for school finance, Minnesota does better than average in equally distributing resources, but it does mediocre at funding education in general.

In the K-12 Achievement category, Minnesota has mixed results. While the state scores high on general academic performance (third in the nation!), schools are failing to bring grades up to the next level.

Meanwhile, the state's well-documented achievement gaps between low-income and more affluent students again come into view in this report.

According to Education Week, Minnesota ranks 48th in the nation when it comes to achievement equity.