The results of the 2025 Kids Count report are in and Connecticut has maintained 8th place in the nation for the second year in a row.
The state earned high marks in two of the general areas analyzed in the report — education and health. But its economic well-being and family and community data pushed Connecticut’s overall ranking lower.
The annual report by the Baltimore-based nonprofit Annie E. Casey Foundation, which takes stock of childhood well-being, uses 16 data points to analyze how children fare in every U.S. state.
This year, New Hampshire came in first and New Mexico last. Connecticut excelled in the Kids Count educational rankings, coming in third in the country after Massachusetts and New Jersey. Despite this, the report notes that scores eroded in three of that area’s four metrics.
Connecticut also received high marks for health compared to other states, ranking fifth nationwide. But Connecticut came in 26th in the country for economic well-being, and for family and community, it ranked 22nd.
In measurements that compare 2023 data with 2019 data, the number of children living in poverty — 95,000 in Connecticut as of 2023— improved slightly, dropping from 14% to 13%. And, the percentage of children whose parents lack secure employment also went down, from 27% to 23%.
Meanwhile the percentage of teens who were not working or in school worsened, increasing from 6% to 7%, an issue that’s been highlighted by a recent report on ‘disconnected youth.’ In the area of health, the rate of child and teen deaths also worsened, from 25 per 100,000 in 2019 to 29 per 100,000 in 2023.
Despite Connecticut’s positive educational outlook overall, the report found the steepest declines in that area, with declines occurring in three of the four measured areas. There was a 5% drop in 3- and 4-year-olds who were enrolled in school, a drop of 7% in math proficiency among eighth graders and a 4% drop in fourth graders who are proficient in reading. But, given that national averages also declined in those areas in the same period, driven by losses during the COVID-19 pandemic, Connecticut hung onto a high ranking.
And Connecticut is likely to see major gains in the years ahead on at least one metric: the percentage of preschoolers. That’s because advocates, educators and lawmakers celebrated the final passage of a bill on Tuesday that intends to transform early childhood education by creating free infant and toddler care and free pre-K for scores of families, and will cap the cost of those supports at 7% of annual household income for families making more than $100,000.
“Connecticut is now a national leader in creating a child care system that truly supports working families and boosts our state’s economy,” said Eva Bermúdez Zimmerman, director of Child Care for CT, in a press release.
Emily Byrne, executive director of Connecticut Voices for Children, said in a press release that Connecticut’s consistent top-10 ranking in the Kids Count is a testament to what’s possible when the state invests in kids and working families.
“But progress is fragile,” she said. “Federal proposals to slash funding for Medicaid, SNAP, and other vital programs could reverse hard-won gains. At the same time, housing costs are soaring and poverty is on the rise, especially for children. Connecticut must meet this moment with bold, equity-centered action.”
The advocacy group said it was calling on state leaders to address the economic inequality that threatens to undermine the state’s progress.
The report found that nationally there were reductions in teen birth rates and in children living in high poverty areas that were echoed in Connecticut. But there were also broader losses in reading and math proficiency, lower preschool enrollment and a higher rate of babies born underweight.
This story was originally published in the Connecticut Mirror.
