New Hampshire ranks near bottom in early education while K‑12 schools rank among the nation’s top five

WalletHub’s latest report places New Hampshire’s early childhood education system at 48th out of 50 states, describing it as “one of the worst” in the country. The ranking highlights limited access to pre‑kindergarten, scarce resources and a lack of economic support for child‑care providers. The report also notes that state‑funded child‑care workforce grants have remained unfunded for more than a year, leaving providers with critical staffing shortages.

At the same time, New Hampshire schools rank in the top five nationally for K‑12 performance, while the state falls to last place in the percentage of education revenue contributed by the state government. Critics link the disparity to policies under Governor Kelly Ayotte, who has not restored funding for the child‑care grants and is accused of allowing the child‑care crisis to worsen. “Kelly Ayotte can’t spin her way out of a child‑care crisis of her own making,” said New Hampshire Democratic Party spokesperson Marissa Hebert.