The motor, social-emotional, and self-regulation skills children learn during their first five years are critical to their development and set the foundation for their future education and relationships. The NSCH, which is administered by the U.S. Census Bureau, is the only national standardized dataset that allows for comparisons of these school readiness measures between states.
The latest NSCH data, covering 2023 and 2024 survey results, shows 66% of 3- to 5-year-olds were on track to begin schooling, a slight increase from the 2022 and 2023 combined results, which showed 65% of children on track.
There are wide gaps in readiness rates between states, ranging from 78% of children on track to begin kindergarten in the District of Columbia to 53% in Arkansas, and between income brackets, with 54% of children living below the federal poverty line considered on track compared with 75% of those living at least 400% above it. The federal poverty line was $31,200 for a family of four in 2024.