Idaho has ranked 13th in overall child well-being in a new national data set, making improvements teen pregnancy and child death rates, according to the latest Kids Count Report.
Released June 8, the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count Data Book — which analyzes trends in child well-being across domains including health, economic welfare, and education — found that Idaho worsened in six of 16 categories since 2019.
Idaho performed the worst in education, ranking 36 among the 50 states. The Kids Count Report gave Idaho a score of 339, representing a 76-point drop in the category since 2019. Among the reasons for the decline were the reading and math abilities of Idaho’s students, according to a release from Idaho Voices for Children, Idaho’s member of the Kids Count network.
In 2024, 68% of Idaho fourth graders were performing below grade level in reading, and 69% of eight graders also failed to reach proficiency in math. Roughly two-thirds of children aged 3 and 4 were not in preschool between 2020 and 2024 in Idaho.
Idaho has consistently underspent other states in public education. In 2024, Idaho spent over $6,000 less per pupil than the national average, the lowest amount of any state in the country.
Rates of Idaho children living in high-poverty areas declined, data book says
Idaho’s score in child health dropped 29 points from 700 in 2019 to a score of 671, as rates of uninsured children increased by 60 percent in the state. Eight percent of children in Idaho did not have health insurance in 2024. According to a Georgetown University Report released this month, Idaho had the fifth-highest rate of uninsured children under six nationwide in 2024.
Idaho’s highest showing across the data book was fifth overall in the family and community domain. Over the five-year period between 2019 and 2024, the share of children living in high-poverty locales in Idaho decreased by 67 percent. According to the data book, only 1 percent of children in Idaho live in high-poverty areas.
About 24% of children in Idaho live in single parent households — the second lowest proportion across the country. Idaho also saw a 33 percent decrease in teen pregnancy between 2019 and 2024.
Idaho declined 59 points from its 2019 score in the economic well-being category, coming in 15th. Idaho falls below the national averages in children living in poverty, children whose parents lack secure employment, and children living in households with a high housing cost burden. The state did, however, see the largest percentage increase across the nation of teens not attending school and not working between 2019 and 2024. In 2024, 8% of 16-19 year-olds in Idaho were neither working nor in school.
Ivy Walker, a policy associate at Idaho Voices for Children, urged Idaho lawmakers to use the data to improve decision making, highlighting the importance of public school funding.
“Idaho can and should do more to ensure public schools have the resources and community support they need to help children succeed and strengthen healthcare access for children across the state,” Walker said. “Idaho lawmakers must prioritize critical supports for families who are struggling to make ends meet.”
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