Data / Rankings / School enrolment, children aged 3 and 4 / US states

US states by school enrolment, children aged 3 and 4

District of Columbia had the highest school enrolment, children aged 3 and 4 of 51 states in 2021, at 76.6%. West Virginia had the lowest, at 30.7%. The median was 43.5% and the figure for the United States was 45.9%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest76.6District of Columbia
Lowest30.7West Virginia
Median43.551 states
United States45.9History

Map of states, 2021

Alabama: 42.8 %Alaska: 36.8 %Arizona: 36.3 %Arkansas: 44.3 %California: 45.6 %Colorado: 48.7 %Connecticut: 61 %Delaware: 47.1 %District of Columbia: 76.6 %Florida: 50.1 %Georgia: 48.1 %Hawaii: 47.6 %Idaho: 34.7 %Illinois: 52.2 %Indiana: 39.8 %Iowa: 43.5 %Kansas: 45.3 %Kentucky: 39.6 %Louisiana: 49.4 %Maine: 42.9 %Maryland: 46.4 %Massachusetts: 55.9 %Michigan: 44.8 %Minnesota: 45.9 %Mississippi: 50.1 %Missouri: 44.6 %Montana: 40.7 %Nebraska: 43.5 %Nevada: 34 %New Hampshire: 51.3 %New Jersey: 61.1 %New Mexico: 41.2 %New York: 57.7 %North Carolina: 41.9 %North Dakota: 30.8 %Ohio: 43 %Oklahoma: 42.1 %Oregon: 42.2 %Pennsylvania: 44.7 %Rhode Island: 43.6 %South Carolina: 43.4 %South Dakota: 38.7 %Tennessee: 37.9 %Texas: 41.6 %Utah: 41.8 %Vermont: 57.8 %Virginia: 46.6 %Washington: 42.7 %West Virginia: 30.7 %Wisconsin: 40.9 %Wyoming: 42.5 %
  • Under 40
  • 40 to 42
  • 42 to 43
  • 43 to 46
  • 46 to 50
  • 50 and over
%, 2021. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2021

District of Columbia: 76.6 %District of Columbia76.6New Jersey: 61.1 %New Jersey61.1Connecticut: 61 %Connecticut61Vermont: 57.8 %Vermont57.8New York: 57.7 %New York57.7Massachusetts: 55.9 %Massachusetts55.9Illinois: 52.2 %Illinois52.2New Hampshire: 51.3 %New Hampshire51.3Mississippi: 50.1 %Mississippi50.1Florida: 50.1 %Florida50.1Louisiana: 49.4 %Louisiana49.4Colorado: 48.7 %Colorado48.7Georgia: 48.1 %Georgia48.1Hawaii: 47.6 %Hawaii47.6Delaware: 47.1 %Delaware47.1Virginia: 46.6 %Virginia46.6Maryland: 46.4 %Maryland46.4Minnesota: 45.9 %Minnesota45.9California: 45.6 %California45.6Kansas: 45.3 %Kansas45.3Michigan: 44.8 %Michigan44.8Pennsylvania: 44.7 %Pennsylvania44.7Missouri: 44.6 %Missouri44.6Arkansas: 44.3 %Arkansas44.3Rhode Island: 43.6 %Rhode Island43.6Iowa: 43.5 %Iowa43.5Nebraska: 43.5 %Nebraska43.5South Carolina: 43.4 %South Carolina43.4Ohio: 43 %Ohio43Maine: 42.9 %Maine42.9Alabama: 42.8 %Alabama42.8Washington: 42.7 %Washington42.7Wyoming: 42.5 %Wyoming42.5Oregon: 42.2 %Oregon42.2Oklahoma: 42.1 %Oklahoma42.1North Carolina: 41.9 %North Carolina41.9Utah: 41.8 %Utah41.8Texas: 41.6 %Texas41.6New Mexico: 41.2 %New Mexico41.2Wisconsin: 40.9 %Wisconsin40.9Montana: 40.7 %Montana40.7Indiana: 39.8 %Indiana39.8Kentucky: 39.6 %Kentucky39.6South Dakota: 38.7 %South Dakota38.7Tennessee: 37.9 %Tennessee37.9Alaska: 36.8 %Alaska36.8Arizona: 36.3 %Arizona36.3Idaho: 34.7 %Idaho34.7Nevada: 34 %Nevada34North Dakota: 30.8 %North Dakota30.8West Virginia: 30.7 %West Virginia30.7District of Columbia: 76.6 %District of Columbia76.6New Jersey: 61.1 %New Jersey61.1Connecticut: 61 %Connecticut61Vermont: 57.8 %Vermont57.8New York: 57.7 %New York57.7Massachusetts: 55.9 %Massachusetts55.9Illinois: 52.2 %Illinois52.2New Hampshire: 51.3 %New Hampshire51.3Mississippi: 50.1 %Mississippi50.1Florida: 50.1 %Florida50.1Louisiana: 49.4 %Louisiana49.4Colorado: 48.7 %Colorado48.7Georgia: 48.1 %Georgia48.1Hawaii: 47.6 %Hawaii47.6Delaware: 47.1 %Delaware47.1Virginia: 46.6 %Virginia46.6Maryland: 46.4 %Maryland46.4Minnesota: 45.9 %Minnesota45.9California: 45.6 %California45.6Kansas: 45.3 %Kansas45.3Michigan: 44.8 %Michigan44.8Pennsylvania: 44.7 %Pennsylvania44.7Missouri: 44.6 %Missouri44.6Arkansas: 44.3 %Arkansas44.3Rhode Island: 43.6 %Rhode Island43.6Iowa: 43.5 %Iowa43.5Nebraska: 43.5 %Nebraska43.5South Carolina: 43.4 %South Carolina43.4Ohio: 43 %Ohio43Maine: 42.9 %Maine42.9Alabama: 42.8 %Alabama42.8Washington: 42.7 %Washington42.7Wyoming: 42.5 %Wyoming42.5Oregon: 42.2 %Oregon42.2Oklahoma: 42.1 %Oklahoma42.1North Carolina: 41.9 %North Carolina41.9Utah: 41.8 %Utah41.8Texas: 41.6 %Texas41.6New Mexico: 41.2 %New Mexico41.2Wisconsin: 40.9 %Wisconsin40.9Montana: 40.7 %Montana40.7Indiana: 39.8 %Indiana39.8Kentucky: 39.6 %Kentucky39.6South Dakota: 38.7 %South Dakota38.7Tennessee: 37.9 %Tennessee37.9Alaska: 36.8 %Alaska36.8Arizona: 36.3 %Arizona36.3Idaho: 34.7 %Idaho34.7Nevada: 34 %Nevada34North Dakota: 30.8 %North Dakota30.8West Virginia: 30.7 %West Virginia30.7
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2021 (%)
1District of Columbia76.6
2New Jersey61.1
3Connecticut61
4Vermont57.8
5New York57.7
6Massachusetts55.9
7Illinois52.2
8New Hampshire51.3
9Mississippi50.1
10Florida50.1
11Louisiana49.4
12Colorado48.7
13Georgia48.1
14Hawaii47.6
15Delaware47.1
16Virginia46.6
17Maryland46.4
18Minnesota45.9
19California45.6
20Kansas45.3
21Michigan44.8
22Pennsylvania44.7
23Missouri44.6
24Arkansas44.3
25Rhode Island43.6
26Iowa43.5
27Nebraska43.5
28South Carolina43.4
29Ohio43
30Maine42.9
31Alabama42.8
32Washington42.7
33Wyoming42.5
34Oregon42.2
35Oklahoma42.1
36North Carolina41.9
37Utah41.8
38Texas41.6
39New Mexico41.2
40Wisconsin40.9
41Montana40.7
42Indiana39.8
43Kentucky39.6
44South Dakota38.7
45Tennessee37.9
46Alaska36.8
47Arizona36.3
48Idaho34.7
49Nevada34
50North Dakota30.8
51West Virginia30.7

Other periods

About this ranking

Children aged 3 and 4 enrolled in public or private school, including nursery school and preschool, at any time in the three months before the interview, as a percentage of all children aged 3 and 4. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

Reported by households, so it includes private nursery schools. Small counties have only a few dozen children in the sample, and their rates can swing widely between periods.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B14003: children aged 3 and 4 enrolled in public or private school as a percentage of all children aged 3 and 4, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b14003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B14003: children aged 3 and 4 enrolled in public or private school as a percentage of all children aged 3 and 4, calculated with stored inputs (US states by school enrolment, children aged 3 and 4, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b14003.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B14003: children aged 3 and 4 enrolled in public or private school as a percentage of all children aged 3 and 4, calculated with stored inputs, US states by school enrolment, children aged 3 and 4, 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b14003.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/preschool-enrollment-ages-3-4/us-states?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B14003: children aged 3 and 4 enrolled in public or private school as a percentage of all children aged 3 and 4, calculated with stored inputs. US states by school enrolment, children aged 3 and 4, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b14003.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/preschool-enrollment-ages-3-4/us-states?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B14003: children aged 3 and 4 enrolled in public or private school as a percentage of all children aged 3 and 4, calculated with stored inputs, US states by school enrolment, children aged 3 and 4, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b14003.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/preschool-enrollment-ages-3-4/us-states?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_school_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B14003: children aged 3 and 4 enrolled in public or private school as a percentage of all children aged 3 and 4, calculated with stored inputs: US states by school enrolment, children aged 3 and 4, 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b14003.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/preschool-enrollment-ages-3-4/us-states?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B14003: children aged 3 and 4 enrolled in public or private school as a percentage of all children aged 3 and 4, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b14003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B14003: children aged 3 and 4 enrolled in public or private school as a percentage of all children aged 3 and 4, calculated with stored inputs: US states by school enrolment, children aged 3 and 4, 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b14003.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/preschool-enrollment-ages-3-4/us-states?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/preschool-enrollment-ages-3-4/us-states?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B14003: children aged 3 and 4 enrolled in public or private school as a percentage of all children aged 3 and 4, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b14003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest school enrolment, children aged 3 and 4?

District of Columbia, with 76.6% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest school enrolment, children aged 3 and 4?

West Virginia, with 30.7% in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B14003: children aged 3 and 4 enrolled in public or private school as a percentage of all children aged 3 and 4, calculated with stored inputs. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

School enrolment, children aged 3 and 4: other rankings

US states: more rankings