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 2022, at 77.9%. West Virginia had the lowest, at 29.1%. The median was 43.2% and the figure for the United States was 45.6%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest77.9District of Columbia
Lowest29.1West Virginia
Median43.251 states
United States45.6History

Map of states, 2022

Alabama: 43.1 %Alaska: 38.1 %Arizona: 35.2 %Arkansas: 43.5 %California: 44.7 %Colorado: 48.5 %Connecticut: 60.7 %Delaware: 44.9 %District of Columbia: 77.9 %Florida: 49.5 %Georgia: 47.7 %Hawaii: 46.2 %Idaho: 36 %Illinois: 51.9 %Indiana: 39.4 %Iowa: 43.2 %Kansas: 44.1 %Kentucky: 39.1 %Louisiana: 49.4 %Maine: 41 %Maryland: 45.8 %Massachusetts: 56.5 %Michigan: 44.3 %Minnesota: 45.7 %Mississippi: 49.6 %Missouri: 43.6 %Montana: 39 %Nebraska: 42.8 %Nevada: 33.3 %New Hampshire: 52.8 %New Jersey: 61.3 %New Mexico: 40.7 %New York: 58.1 %North Carolina: 41.7 %North Dakota: 30.2 %Ohio: 42.9 %Oklahoma: 41.2 %Oregon: 41.8 %Pennsylvania: 44.2 %Rhode Island: 45.1 %South Carolina: 43 %South Dakota: 38 %Tennessee: 38.6 %Texas: 41.7 %Utah: 41.6 %Vermont: 58.9 %Virginia: 45.8 %Washington: 42.9 %West Virginia: 29.1 %Wisconsin: 41 %Wyoming: 42.3 %
  • Under 39
  • 39 to 42
  • 42 to 43
  • 43 to 45
  • 45 to 50
  • 50 and over
%, 2022. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2022

District of Columbia: 77.9 %District of Columbia77.9New Jersey: 61.3 %New Jersey61.3Connecticut: 60.7 %Connecticut60.7Vermont: 58.9 %Vermont58.9New York: 58.1 %New York58.1Massachusetts: 56.5 %Massachusetts56.5New Hampshire: 52.8 %New Hampshire52.8Illinois: 51.9 %Illinois51.9Mississippi: 49.6 %Mississippi49.6Florida: 49.5 %Florida49.5Louisiana: 49.4 %Louisiana49.4Colorado: 48.5 %Colorado48.5Georgia: 47.7 %Georgia47.7Hawaii: 46.2 %Hawaii46.2Maryland: 45.8 %Maryland45.8Virginia: 45.8 %Virginia45.8Minnesota: 45.7 %Minnesota45.7Rhode Island: 45.1 %Rhode Island45.1Delaware: 44.9 %Delaware44.9California: 44.7 %California44.7Michigan: 44.3 %Michigan44.3Pennsylvania: 44.2 %Pennsylvania44.2Kansas: 44.1 %Kansas44.1Missouri: 43.6 %Missouri43.6Arkansas: 43.5 %Arkansas43.5Iowa: 43.2 %Iowa43.2Alabama: 43.1 %Alabama43.1South Carolina: 43 %South Carolina43Ohio: 42.9 %Ohio42.9Washington: 42.9 %Washington42.9Nebraska: 42.8 %Nebraska42.8Wyoming: 42.3 %Wyoming42.3Oregon: 41.8 %Oregon41.8Texas: 41.7 %Texas41.7North Carolina: 41.7 %North Carolina41.7Utah: 41.6 %Utah41.6Oklahoma: 41.2 %Oklahoma41.2Maine: 41 %Maine41Wisconsin: 41 %Wisconsin41New Mexico: 40.7 %New Mexico40.7Indiana: 39.4 %Indiana39.4Kentucky: 39.1 %Kentucky39.1Montana: 39 %Montana39Tennessee: 38.6 %Tennessee38.6Alaska: 38.1 %Alaska38.1South Dakota: 38 %South Dakota38Idaho: 36 %Idaho36Arizona: 35.2 %Arizona35.2Nevada: 33.3 %Nevada33.3North Dakota: 30.2 %North Dakota30.2West Virginia: 29.1 %West Virginia29.1District of Columbia: 77.9 %District of Columbia77.9New Jersey: 61.3 %New Jersey61.3Connecticut: 60.7 %Connecticut60.7Vermont: 58.9 %Vermont58.9New York: 58.1 %New York58.1Massachusetts: 56.5 %Massachusetts56.5New Hampshire: 52.8 %New Hampshire52.8Illinois: 51.9 %Illinois51.9Mississippi: 49.6 %Mississippi49.6Florida: 49.5 %Florida49.5Louisiana: 49.4 %Louisiana49.4Colorado: 48.5 %Colorado48.5Georgia: 47.7 %Georgia47.7Hawaii: 46.2 %Hawaii46.2Maryland: 45.8 %Maryland45.8Virginia: 45.8 %Virginia45.8Minnesota: 45.7 %Minnesota45.7Rhode Island: 45.1 %Rhode Island45.1Delaware: 44.9 %Delaware44.9California: 44.7 %California44.7Michigan: 44.3 %Michigan44.3Pennsylvania: 44.2 %Pennsylvania44.2Kansas: 44.1 %Kansas44.1Missouri: 43.6 %Missouri43.6Arkansas: 43.5 %Arkansas43.5Iowa: 43.2 %Iowa43.2Alabama: 43.1 %Alabama43.1South Carolina: 43 %South Carolina43Ohio: 42.9 %Ohio42.9Washington: 42.9 %Washington42.9Nebraska: 42.8 %Nebraska42.8Wyoming: 42.3 %Wyoming42.3Oregon: 41.8 %Oregon41.8Texas: 41.7 %Texas41.7North Carolina: 41.7 %North Carolina41.7Utah: 41.6 %Utah41.6Oklahoma: 41.2 %Oklahoma41.2Maine: 41 %Maine41Wisconsin: 41 %Wisconsin41New Mexico: 40.7 %New Mexico40.7Indiana: 39.4 %Indiana39.4Kentucky: 39.1 %Kentucky39.1Montana: 39 %Montana39Tennessee: 38.6 %Tennessee38.6Alaska: 38.1 %Alaska38.1South Dakota: 38 %South Dakota38Idaho: 36 %Idaho36Arizona: 35.2 %Arizona35.2Nevada: 33.3 %Nevada33.3North Dakota: 30.2 %North Dakota30.2West Virginia: 29.1 %West Virginia29.1
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2022 (%)Change on 2021
1District of Columbia77.9+1.3 pts
2New Jersey61.3+0.2 pts
3Connecticut60.7-0.3 pts
4Vermont58.9+1.1 pts
5New York58.1+0.4 pts
6Massachusetts56.5+0.6 pts
7New Hampshire52.8+1.5 pts
8Illinois51.9-0.2 pts
9Mississippi49.6-0.5 pts
10Florida49.5-0.5 pts
11Louisiana49.40 pts
12Colorado48.5-0.1 pts
13Georgia47.7-0.3 pts
14Hawaii46.2-1.3 pts
15Maryland45.8-0.6 pts
16Virginia45.8-0.8 pts
17Minnesota45.7-0.2 pts
18Rhode Island45.1+1.4 pts
19Delaware44.9-2.2 pts
20California44.7-0.9 pts
21Michigan44.3-0.5 pts
22Pennsylvania44.2-0.5 pts
23Kansas44.1-1.2 pts
24Missouri43.6-1 pts
25Arkansas43.5-0.8 pts
26Iowa43.2-0.3 pts
27Alabama43.1+0.3 pts
28South Carolina43-0.4 pts
29Ohio42.9-0.1 pts
30Washington42.9+0.2 pts
31Nebraska42.8-0.6 pts
32Wyoming42.3-0.2 pts
33Oregon41.8-0.5 pts
34Texas41.7+0.1 pts
35North Carolina41.7-0.2 pts
36Utah41.6-0.2 pts
37Oklahoma41.2-0.9 pts
38Maine41-1.8 pts
39Wisconsin41+0.1 pts
40New Mexico40.7-0.5 pts
41Indiana39.4-0.4 pts
42Kentucky39.1-0.5 pts
43Montana39-1.7 pts
44Tennessee38.6+0.7 pts
45Alaska38.1+1.3 pts
46South Dakota38-0.7 pts
47Idaho36+1.4 pts
48Arizona35.2-1.1 pts
49Nevada33.3-0.7 pts
50North Dakota30.2-0.6 pts
51West Virginia29.1-1.5 pts

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/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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, 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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, 2022. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b14003.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/preschool-enrollment-ages-3-4/us-states?period=2022. 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, 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b14003.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/preschool-enrollment-ages-3-4/us-states?period=2022.

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, 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b14003.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/preschool-enrollment-ages-3-4/us-states?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_school_2022,
  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, 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b14003.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/preschool-enrollment-ages-3-4/us-states?period=2022. 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/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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, 2022
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b14003.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/preschool-enrollment-ages-3-4/us-states?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/preschool-enrollment-ages-3-4/us-states?period=2022.
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/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b14003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank US states by school enrolment, children aged 3 and 4 using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

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

District of Columbia, with 77.9% in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

West Virginia, with 29.1% in 2022.

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