# U.S. state education policy rankings > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/us-state-education-policy-rankings > Updated: 2026-10-05T17:14:25.000Z. Sources: 4. Developments: 2. Reports have been released evaluating state-level education policies in the United States, focusing on themes such as parental rights, curriculum transparency, and school choice. A report by Defending Education, titled Rankings on Integrity in State Education (RISE), assessed all 50 states and the District of Columbia across categories including gender and sexuality, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), teacher policies, and foreign influence. The RISE report indicated that states with Republican leadership generally achieved higher integrity ratings, with Tennessee receiving the highest score and the District of Columbia ranking lowest. Additionally, the Heritage Foundation released an education freedom report. In this assessment, Florida ranked first for the fifth consecutive year, noted for its school choice options and curriculum transparency. Other high-performing states in the Heritage Foundation report included Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, and Iowa, while Minnesota ranked 33rd overall. ## Timeline ### 2026-10-05: U.S. states ranked in new education integrity and freedom reports Recent reports rank U.S. states on education integrity and freedom, with Tennessee and Florida leading in various categories regarding parental rights and school choice. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/us-states-ranked-in-new-education-integrity-and-freedom-reports ### 2026-10-03: Defending Education releases RISE rankings for U.S. state education integrity Defending Education's RISE Rankings show red states leading in education integrity regarding parental rights and DEI, while blue states and D.C. rank lower. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/defending-education-releases-rise-rankings-for-us-state-education-integrity --- Cite as: U.S. state education policy rankings. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/us-state-education-policy-rankings