Arizona ranks low for preschool enrollment, annual study finds
Arizona ranks among the lowest in the nation for public preschool enrollment of 4-year-olds, according to a recently released study.
During the 2023-24 school year, only 4% of 4-year-olds in Arizona were enrolled in public preschool, falling far below the national average of 35%, according to the 2024 State of Preschool Yearbook from the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University.
Arizona now ranks 44th and 27th for pre-school enrollment among 4- and 3-year-olds, respectively, down from 43rd and 24th in the 2022-23 school year.
Despite stagnant preschool enrollment numbers, Arizona saw major increases in overall preschool spending and per-student spending largely due to COVID-19 recovery funding from the federal government, according to the latest State of Preschool Yearbook.
Except during the COVID-19 pandemic, the national average of 4-year-olds enrolled in public preschool has steadily increased since the 2001-02 school year, going from 14% to 37% in the 2023-24 school year.
In Arizona in the 2023-24 school year, the share of 4-year-olds enrolled in a public preschool remained similar to pre-pandemic numbers at 4%, but fell below the 6% of 4-year-olds enrolled during the 2001-02 school year.
Arizona saw a minimal increase in the number of 3- to 4-year-olds enrolled in public preschool in the 2023-24 year compared to the previous year: an uptick of 369 students for a total of 6,323. The total does not include the roughly 9,000 students enrolled in special education and 12,000 students in Head Start.
Including special education and Head Start students, only about 13% of 3-year-olds and 18% of 4-year-olds in Arizona are enrolled in public early childhood education. These percentages are still lower than the national average of 17% of three-year-olds and 47% of four-year-olds.
Arizona does not support universal preschool, fully-funded preschool to 3- and 4-year-olds regardless of income.
Washington, D.C., and Vermont have the highest preschool enrollment rates for 3- and 4-year-olds in the nation, and both offer universal preschool. Colorado rocketed from 27th to 3rd place for access to preschool among 4-year-olds after launching its universal preschool program.
Arizona also does not require schools to offer full-day kindergarten, and only provides 2.5 hours of state-funded kindergarten, also known as half-day kindergarten.
The National Institute for Early Education Research's State of Preschool Yearbook has 10 recommended benchmarks that states should follow for successful and high-quality public preschool.
Arizona meets three benchmarks: a comprehensive standard for learning, a strong curriculum and a system designed to continuously improve.
The seven benchmarks Arizona does not meet are: a required bachelor's degree and specialized preschool training for preschool teachers, a Child Development Associate credential for assistant teachers, recommended professional development for preschool staff, maximum classroom sizes of 20 students, a 1-to-10 teacher-to-student ratio and annual student health screenings.
The benchmarks are only minimums, however, and 'if programs are adequately funded, they're not constrained to do the least that they can do,' said Steve Barnett, the National Institute for Early Education Research's founder.
States spent over $13.6 billion in preschool funding in the 2023-34 school year, a 17% increase compared to the previous year. Arizona spent $50.4 million, a 56.4% increase from the previous year.
Arizona increased its per student spending for preschoolers by $2,585 to a total of $7,972 and was one of only five states in the country to increase preschool student spending by over $2,500. The National Institute for Early Education Research estimates $10,865 per student would be required for Arizona to deliver high-quality preschools.
Arizona's increases were primarily due to the use of COVID-19 recovery funds to expand Quality First Scholarships by First Things First, an early childhood agency. Quality First Scholarships allow families enrolling their child in a participating preschool to help cover some or all of the expenses.
First Things First was created to allocate funds from tobacco tax revenues to health programs and early childhood development. With declining sales of tobacco, revenue has dropped 37.9% since 2008, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research.
Despite the declining pool of available funding, First Things First has been spending more on each student's scholarship over the years, which can negatively impact overall enrollment.
Coverage of education solutions on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is partially supported by a grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation's Arizona Community Collaborative Fund.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona ranks low for preschool enrollment, annual study finds
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