How Minnesota fares
depends on who's talking
and what they're looking at.
See how Minnesota Ranks according to various sources
with various priorities:
June 4, 2008 - Minnesota's Slip Toward Mediocrity: Less Investment, Less Return - The decline in factors relating to education is particularly distressing, since the product of Minnesota’s education system is the cornerstone of the state’s future, Minnesota 2020 (Video).
- From 2003 to 2007, Minnesota’s rank in pupil-teacher ratio has fallen from 25th to 40th.
- Minnesota’s rank on per capita education spending has fallen from 12th in 2002 to 18th in 2006.
- On the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), math and reading at the 4th and 8th grades, Minnesota ranked 3rd in the nation in 2002 and 2003, before falling to 4th place in 2005 and 8th place in 2007. The average percentage of students achieving the basic skill level or higher in Minnesota fell from 16.6 percent above the national average in 2002 to 9.2 percent above the national average in 2007.
- The current spending of Minnesota public schools has fallen below the national average both on a per-pupil basis and per $1,000 of personal income.
May 21, 2008 - Minnesota's Tax Rankings Hover Near Average: Minnesota Below Average in Total Public-Sector Investment - Minnesota ranks as a near-average state - 19th - in total state and local taxes, measured as a percentage of income for Fiscal Year 2006. Minnesota ranks 32nd among states using a more comprehensive measure of the size of state and local government that includes all sources of funding - taxes plus all other sources of revenue, such as federal aid and tuition at public colleges and universities. This decline in public investment will (or has) hurt our quality of life, Minnesota Budget Project and Growth & Justice.
April 2008 - Cities in Crisis: A Special Analytic Report on High School Graduation - Minneapolis ranked 45th out of the Nation's 50 Largest Cities; 17 percent graduation rate gap between urban core and surrounding suburbs, America’s Promise Alliance/EPE Research Center.
March 27, 2008 - Technology Counts 2008 State Reports - Assesses the status of K-12 educational technology across the nation in the areas of access, use, and capacity. Minnesota received an overall grade of “C,” less than the national average of “C+,” Education Week (Minnesota).
March 11, 2008 - Progress on NAEP: 2003-2007 Math and 2000-2005 Science sorted by Poverty gap change, Education Week (Excel; free login required).
- Progress on NAEP 8th Grade Math: Poverty gap change from 2003 to 2007
Top 10 States: GA, NY, TN, WI, FL, MD, LA, PA, VT, IL
Minnesota? 38th
- Progress on NAEP 8th Grade Science: Poverty gap change from 2000 to 2005
Top 10 States: MI, KY, MA, LA, CT, OR, VT, ME, NV, NC
Minnesota? 34th
March 2008 - Measuring Performance: The State Management Report Card for 2008 - Minnesota earns a B- on improving the way information is used to manage the state, Governing Magazine and the Pew Center on the States.
January 2008 - FAQ on Tax Rankings & Minnesota - An overview of frequently asked questions (FAQ) about Minnesota's tax rankings, Minnesota House Fiscal Analysis.
January 2008 - Quality Counts 2008 - Minnesota ranks 22nd on school finance equity and spending indicators, continuing slide to "middle of the pack," (Minnesota State Profile, page 12), Education Week.
November 2007 - Chance Favors the Prepared Mind: Mathematics and Science Indicators for Comparing States and Nations - Minnesota Ranked 7th in the world in Mathematics; 12th in Science, American Institutes for Research.
October 2007 - How Does Minnesota Compare? Fiscal Year 2005 Comparisons, State by State Rankings of Revenues and Spending, Minnesota Taxpayers Association. In FY 2005 State and Local Expenditures as a percent of personal income, Minnesota Ranked:
- 31st on K-12 Education, down from 28th in FY 2004
- 38th on Higher Education Spending, down from 37th in FY 2004
- 37th on Total Education Spending, down from 36th in FY 2004
FY 2005, Minnesota ranked 23rd in total state and local tax collections (as compared to 16th in 2004) and 31st on state and local direct general expenditures (v. 28th, 2004). Compared to the U.S. average, Minnesotan's spent $3.32 less on K-12 Education per $1,000 of personal income. Minnesota spends more than the U.S. average in the areas of Public Welfare, Highways, Natural Resources/Parks and Public Buildings.
May 2007 - Event Dropout Rates for Public School Students in Grades 9–12: 2002–03 and 2003–04 - Minnesota ranked 4th in the nation for decreasing dropout rates from 2002-03 to 2003-04 (Table 1) as measured by the percentage of public school students in grades 9–12 who dropped out of school between one October and the next, moving Minnesota's overall state rank from 21st (2002-03) to 37th (2003-04) on Grade 9-12 dropouts as a percent of total student enrollment [low is good], National Center for Education Statistics.
April 2007 - Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2004-05 (FY 2005), (Table 3).
Minnesota rankings on per pupil expenditures, FY 2005:
- 23rd Total per pupil expenditures
- 15th Per pupil instruction and instruction-related expenditures
(Includes salaries and benefits for teachers, teaching assistants, librarians and library aides, in-service teacher trainers, curriculum development, student assessment, technology, and supplies and purchased services related to these activities.)
- 4th Per pupil percent instruction and instruction-related at 69.54%
(This is the 70% solution figure)
- 48th Per pupil student support services
(Includes attendance and social work, guidance, health, psychological services, speech pathology, audiology, and other student support services.)
- 33rd Per pupil expenditures for administration
- 22nd Per pupil operating expenditures
March 29, 2007 - Technology Counts 2007: Minnesota, Education Week and the Editorial Projects in Education (EPE) Research Center. Minnesota earns mediocre marks: below average in access and capacity, above average in use of technology, below average overall:
|
Grade |
|
Access to technology |
C |
|
Use of technology |
B- |
|
Capacity to use technology |
D |
|
Overall grade |
C |
March 29, 2007 - Survey and Analysis of Teacher Salary Trends 2005 - Minnesota ranked 16th in the nation for average teacher salary in 2004-05 at $47,411; Minnesota ranked 23rd in the nation for beginning teacher salary at $31,632, American Federation of Teachers (Minnesota Release).
February 2007 - The 2007 State New Economy Index - Benchmarking Economic Transformation in the States, Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (Minnesota Profile). Minnesota ranked:
- 6th - Knowledge Jobs
- 10th - Workforce Education
- 28th - Educational Attainment of Immigrants
- 4th - Online Population (69% Internet users as a share of the population)
- 35th - Technology in Schools
- 27th - Broadband Telecommunications
- 12th - High Tech Jobs
- 22nd - Scientists and Engineers
February 2007 - Minnesota State Rankings from the National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data (based on 2004-2005 numbers; accessed 02/22/2007):
Minnesota Ranks
- 30th in Total Enrollment
- 36th on Pupil:Teacher Ratio, well below the national average
- 37th on Class Size with an Estimated Average Class Size of 25.06
- 36th on Secondary Pupil:Guidance Counselor ratio at 437:1
(national average, 350:1; recommended 250:1)
- 49th on K-12 Pupil:Guidance Counselor ratio at 795:1
(national average, 479:1; recommended 250:1)
- 35th on K-12 Student:Librarian ratio at 909:1
(national average, 901:1; recommended minimum 1 per building)
Additional sources:
Class Size rank found at Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) + 9 Students = Estimated Average Class Size - Based on same NCES data, Reduce Class Size Now.
Student:Counselor Ratios found at School Counselor Career/Roles, American School Counselor Association.
Media Services Guidelines found at Program Administration Principles of School Library Media Programs, Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning, American Association of School Librarians (Rev.2/8/07).
February 2007 - Leaders and Laggards: A State-by-State Report Card on Educational Effectiveness, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Center for American Progress (Minnesota Report Card - Includes definitions and remarks about Minnesota's scores).
|
Grade |
Rank |
|
Academic Achievement |
A |
2nd |
|
Academic Achievement of Low-Income and Minority Students |
B |
17th |
|
Return on Investment |
A |
4th |
|
Truth in Advertising About Student Proficiency |
NA |
NA |
|
Rigor of Standards |
C |
27th |
|
Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness |
A |
7th |
|
21st Century Teaching Force |
B |
28th |
|
Flexibility in Management and Policy |
C |
23rd |
|
Data Quality |
C |
26th |
Leaders and Laggards Critiques
- In its state-by-state analyses, the method by which Leaders and Laggards assigns letter grades to states ensures that 10 states get A’s, 10 get B’s, and so forth. The Chamber called this grading on a curve. No matter how well the states might be doing on any absolute scale, the 10 lowest scorers received F’s. This is absurd.
Adjacent states on different sides of a cut point have almost identical scores, but they get different grades. For example, the rankings on academic achievement were constructed by averaging each state’s percentage of students scoring proficient or higher for NAEP grades 4 and 8, in reading and math. Iowa, the lowest state to get a B, had a score of 34.50%; Idaho, the highest state to get a C, scored 34.25%. Illinois, the lowest C state, had 30.25%; Missouri, the highest D state, scores 30.00%. In each case a difference of one-fourth of one percent resulted in a difference of a full letter grade. Ridiculous.
October 2007 - 17th Bracey Report
(Page 126; pdf 8)
December 2006 - The Funding Gaps 2006 - School finance policy choices systematically shortchange low-income and minority students, Education Trust (Full Report).
The 2006 analysis (based on 2003-2004 numbers), showed:
- Minnesota ranked 20th in federal Title I dollars (30 states received fewer dollars per child in poverty)
- In 26 of 49 states, the highest poverty school districts receive fewer resources than the lowest poverty districts. Not so in Minnesota, which ranked 3rd for putting dollars in high-poverty school districts.
- In 28 states, high-minority districts received less state and local money for each child than low-minority districts. Not so in Minnesota, which ranked 6th for putting dollars in high-minority school districts.
November 2006 - Overview of Public Elementary and Secondary Students, Staff, Schools, School Districts, Revenues, and Expenditures: School Year 2004–05 and Fiscal Year 2004 (Table 8), National Center for Education Statistics, Minnesota ranks:
- Third in the nation in terms of the percentage of current expenditures spent on instruction and instruction-related expenses in Fiscal Year 2004 at 69.7%. The national average was 66 percent.
November 2006 - Rankings & Estimates: Rankings of the States 2005 and Estimates of School Statistics 2006 (See Table H. Estimated Revenue and Nonrevenue Receipts, 2004–05), National Education Association Research, based on FY 2004-05 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Minnesota ranks:
- 11th in Public K-12 School Revenues from the state
(4th in terms of percent of school revenues from the state; behind Vermont, Hawaii and New Mexico)
- 27th in Public K-12 School Revenues from local sources
- 25th in Public K-12 School Revenues from the federal government
- 18th in Public K-12 School Revenues, all sources
- 34th in terms of Total Student Enrollment
- 13th in terms of Dollars per Pupil, all sources
- 11th in terms of Dollars per Pupil, state
September 7, 2006 - Measuring Up 2006 - Minnesota earns a "D" in college affordability, "If the state’s downward trends are not addressed, they could limit its access to a competitive workforce and weaken its economy over time," National Report Card on Higher Education (Press Release; Full Report).
August 15, 2006 - "In 1992, Minnesota ranked 15th among states in total education spending as a share of personal income, even after all the cuts to solve the state's last budget crisis. We're now 36th among states. Minnesota might be out of the top 10 in taxes, but we're nearing the bottom 10 in our support for education," Toward a more competitive state, Jay Kiedrowski and John Gunyou, Star Tribune Commentary.
June 2006 - Diplomas count: State and District Patterns, Education Week Editorial Projects in Education [Free log in required] (Data Source: NCES Common Core of Data, 2002-03).
Minnesota ranked:
8th in the nation on overall Graduation Rates, All Students at 79%
10th in the nation on Graduation Rates, White Students at 83.1%
44th in the nation on Graduation Rates, Black Students at 43.6%
5th in the nation on Black-White Graduation Rate Gaps at 39.5% (not good)
Notes: New Jersey, North Dakota, Iowa, Vermont and Wisconsin outperformed Minnesota on overall Graduation Rates, All Students; all at over 80%. Oregon, Nebraska, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota had the highest Black-White Graduation Rate Gaps; all at greater than 39%. Hawaii, West Virginia, Mississippi, Arizona and Wyoming had the lowest Black-White Graduation Rate Gaps; all at less than 10%. New Jersey, Iowa, Connecticut and Pennsylvania outperformed Minnesota on both overall Graduation Rates and smaller Black-White Graduation Rate Gaps. Black-White Graduation Rate Gap data was not available for North Dakota, Vermont, Idaho, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Maine, Tennessee and South Carolina because necessary data field(s) were not reported in CCD or because of very small group size.
May 2006 - Minnesota ranked second to last (after Nevada) on educational technology, Technology Leaders: Grading the States, Education Week.
March 2006 - Minnesota ranks 18th in resources for preschool and scores 4 out of 10 on quality review, The State of Preschool: 2005 State Preschool Yearbook, National Institute for Early Education Research.
March 2006 - According to Public Education Finances 2004 - An Annual Survey of Local Government Finances , U.S. Census Bureau, Minnesota ranks:
- 4th in state revenue (45th in local; 48th in federal)
- 16th in total spending for instruction (13th for salaries; 21st for benefits)
- 22nd on spending for general administration, and
- 44th in spending for school administration spending (up from 50th in 2003)
Overall, Minnesota ranked 19th in the nation for total K-12 revenues and 21st in total public education spending.
As a percent of personal income, Minnesota ranked:
- 8th in state revenue (48th in local; 46th in federal)
- 30th on total spending for instruction (25th for salaries; 30th for benefits)
- 28th on spending for general administration, and
- 51st in spending for school administration
Overall, Minnesota ranked 30th in the nation for total K-12 revenues and 40th in total public education spending as a percent of personal income.
February 2006 - Minnesota Ranked 18th on per capita revenue and 11th on per capita expenditures, 2004 State Government Finances - States Ranked by Revenue and Expenditure Total Amount and Per Capita Total Amount: 2004, U.S. Census Bureau.
January 2006 - Minnesota ranks 38th in elementary and secondary public school current expenditures as share of gross state product: 2003 (select Elementary and secondary public school current expenditures as share of gross state product in the drop down box and click on bar chart) - Science and Engineering Indicators 2006. Prepared by the National Science Foundation's Division of Science Resources Statistics (SRS) for the National Science Foundation. (CHART)
According to Quality Counts 2006, Minnesota ranks fifth in the country in graduation rates; 37th in class size.
|
Minnesota |
National Average |
Rank |
| Education spending per student adjusted for regional cost differences (2002) |
$7,889 |
$7,734 |
23 |
| Average class size for self-contained classes in elementary schools (2000) |
22 |
21.2 |
37 |
| Average Beginning Teacher Salary (2002-03) |
$28,600 |
$29,564 |
30 |
| Average Teacher Salary (2002-03) |
$44,745 |
$45,771 |
19 |
|
|
|
|
| Graduation rates (2002) |
84% |
71% |
5 |
| State overall |
| Black |
54% |
56% |
|
| Hispanic |
-- % |
52% |
|
| White |
88% |
78% |
|
December 2005 - Minnesota's public 4-year college costs have increased by 51%, the 5th highest rate of increase among the states. Minnesota's private college cost only rose 20%, while tuition at 2-year colleges rose by 44%, Average Tuition and Fees at Academic Institutions, 1999-2004, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
Fall 2005 - Rankings & Estimates Update - Minnesota ranks 16th in Average Teacher Salary, 19th in Education Spending Per Student, National Education Association.
- Average teacher salaries rose 3.4% in Minnesota from 2003–2004 to 2004–2005, which moved Minnesota from 20th to 16th nationwide.
- Spending per student rose 4.3% in Minnesota from 2003–2004 to 2004–2005. That was enough to keep Minnesota at 19th nationwide, out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Spending rose 4.4%, or 3.7% per student, on average nationwide.
- Minnesota's student-to-teacher ratio of 16 to 1 was one of the highest in the nation. Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia had lower ratios (fewer students per teacher).
October 2005 - Minnesota NAEP 2005 Results, Minnesota Department of Education. State Comparisons (Total # jurisdictions = 52):
Grade 4 Math
# lower = 46 # not different = 5 # higher = 0
Grade 4 Reading
# lower = 33 # not different = 17 # higher = 1 (Massachusetts)
Grade 8 Math
# lower = 48 # not different = 3 # higher = 0
Grade 8 Reading
# lower = 32 # not different = 18 # higher = 1 (Massachusetts)
August 2005 - MN Ranks 16th on annual teacher turnover cost at $93 million, Alliance for Excellent Education (chart).
May 2005 - Minnesota ranks 34th out of 40 states for pre-Kindergarten expulsions. Minnesota’s prekindergarten expulsion rate of 3.4 per 1,000 is over 4 times higher than its K-12 expulsion rate of 0.8 per 1,000, Prekindergarteners Left Behind: Expulsion Rates in State Prekindergarten Systems, Yale University Child Study Center (Minnesota fact sheet).
- 57% of Minnesota's schools have at least one inadequate building feature.
- 66% of Minnesota's schools have at least one unsatisfactory environmental feature.
If the public cost of inadequate/unsatisfactory school buildings concerns you, you should follow the link to read about our roads and dams.
October 2004 (updated) - According to How Does Minnesota Compare?, Minnesota Center for Public Finance Research/Minnesota Taxpayers Association:
-
Minnesota is 8th in the nation in earning power and 27th in the nation in education funding. (2002). In 1996 we were 5th, in 1997-14th, 1998-18th, 1999-18th, 2000-21st.
October 2004 - Minnesota Ranks 46th in Per-Pupil Spending Growth, AMSD Connections (page 3). June 2004 - From 2002 to 2003, Minnesota’s ranking plummeted from 8th to 24th in K-12 expenditures per pupil and fell from 17th to 29th among the 50 states in average teacher salaries, AMSD Connections (page 3).
The Result of Minnesota’s Historical Commitment to K-12 Education:
- Compare Minnesota! - Scroll down to "Excellence in Education" in the first window to see how Minnesota compares according to the state's principal economic development agency, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).
- Minnesota ranks first in the nation for having the highest proportion of both 4th and 8th graders scoring at the highest two levels in math. The proportion of Minnesota 8th graders who scored at the highest levels in math increased by 74% between 1990 and 2000. (National Center for Education Statistics)
- Minnesota ranks among the best – 4th out of 50 states – in the proportion of high school graduates with scores in the top 20% nationally on either ACT or SAT exams. (National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, 2002)
- Minnesota public schools teachers are the most qualified teachers in the country. They rank 1st out of 50 states, based on 12 indicators of teacher qualification. (National Commission on Teaching and America's Future)
The Problems Created by Under-Funding Public Schools:
- The number of students for every teacher is getting larger in Minnesota and, as a result, students are getting less individual attention. The number of students per public school teacher has increased by 5% since 2001. (National Center for Education Statistics, 2002)
- Minnesota has the highest proportion of crumbling roofs of all states in the nation (62%). Thirty-eight percent (38%) of Minnesota schools have a building that needs extensive repair or should be replaced. (American Society of Civil Engineers)
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