For many, education is a priority and a quality education can open pathways for greater career opportunities and potential higher earnings.

Despite this, not all states offer the same quality education, and Louisiana often seems to lack in the education department.

In order to find out which states are the most educated, WalletHub analyzed states based on educational attainment, school quality and disparities in achievement.

Where does Louisiana rank in quality education?

Louisiana ranked 48th on WalletHub’s list of the most educated states in the U.S. for 2026, making it the third least educated state.

Within WalletHub’s study, Louisiana also ranks No. 48 for education attainments and 40th for quality of education.

Additionally, Louisiana had the fourth-lowest percentage of high school diploma holders, third-lowest percentage of Associate’s Degree holders or college-experienced adults and the fourth-lowest percentage of Bachelor’s Degree holders.

In comparison, Massachusetts ranked as the most educated state, as the state has the highest percentage of adults with at least a Bachelor’s Degree and the highest share of adults who have a graduate or professional degree, according to WalletHub.

The most and least educated states according to WalletHub

1. Massachusetts
2. Vermont
3. Maryland
4. Connecticut
5. Colorado
6. New Jersey
7. Virginia
8. New Hampshire
9. Minnesota
10. Washington
11. Utah
12. Maine
13. Rhode Island
14. Delaware
15. Illinois
16. New York
17. Oregon
18. Montana
19. Wisconsin
20. Pennsylvania
21. Florida
22. North Carolina
23. Hawaii
24. Kansas
25. Nebraska
26. Wyoming
27. Michigan
28. North Dakota
29. California
30. Georgia
31. Missouri
32. Iowa
33. South Dakota
34. Arizona
35. Ohio
36. Alaska
37. Idaho
38. South Carolina
39. Tennessee
40. Indiana
41. Texas
42. New Mexico
43. Alabama
44. Kentucky
45. Oklahoma
46. Nevada
47. Arkansas
48. Louisiana
49. Mississippi
50. West Virginia

VERNON PARISH, La. (KALB) – Federal officials announced on February 9 that eleven people were indicted on ten counts of “Conspiracy to Possess a Controlled substance with Intent to Distribute” and two counts of “Unlawful Use of a Communication Facility” in connection with an alleged drug trafficking ring that operated across several Central Louisiana parishes, prominently based in Vernon Parish.

Those indicted individuals are:

• Detrail Harris
• Kameron Harris
• Barry Pearson
• Frank Coleman, Jr.
• Earl “Nook” Thompson
• Micheal Womack
• Sevesta Sweet
• Charles Jackson
• Andrew Bulloch
• Craig Hopkins
• Buford “Dog Pound” Sawyer

The indictment follows a nearly two-year investigation originally initiated by the Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office and later assisted by these other agencies:

• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
• Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
• Rapides Area Drug Enforcement Unit (RADE)
• Department of Justice
• Leesville Police Department
• Alexandria Police Department
• Louisiana State Police
• Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office
• Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office
• United States Marshall
• Pineville Police Department
• U.S. Forestry Service
• Army Criminal Division
• Criminal Investigations, FBI New Orleans
• Texas law enforcement

Officials confirm law enforcement seized, through a search warrant, a total of one kilogram of cocaine, 25 pounds of meth, 2,000 fentanyl pills, $125,000 in cash and various gold bars. When questioned on the believed “street value” of the contraband, officials stated they could not create an estimate due to the unknown concentration of fentanyl within the substances.

According to court documents, law enforcement believes the alleged contraband distribution conspiracy began no later than July 11, 2024, and continued through to November 2, 2025, and ranged from the Central Louisiana region and spanning as far south as Lafayette.

“We know that those pills were going to be distributed throughout Central and South Louisiana. At a certain stage of this investigation, we executed search warrants on some of the residences of some of these alleged ‘DTO’ members, and we found those pills and we knew that from our intelligence gathering that those pills were going to be distributed between South and Lafayette, the Broussard area of Louisiana, all the way up to Central Louisiana.”

During a press conference, federal officials stated they believe the alleged ring was directly involved with South and Central American drug rings, directly naming the criminal “Gulf Cartel.”

“Intelligence led us to one neighborhood gang here that used the Gulf Cartel as its supplier of deadly, illegal drugs,” said Jonathan Tapp, a special agent for the FBI office based in New Orleans. “We will fight the influence of these foreign organizations, and we will not let them gain a foothold in central Louisiana…We will combat them at their points of origin, at the border, and in our local communities.”

An executive order passed by President Donald Trump in January 2025 labeled organizations such as the Gulf Cartel as terroristic and paved the way for the formation of the U.S. Homeland Security Task Force, a key proponent for the investigation.

“That task force was tasked with bringing the full investigative and prosecutorial resources of the United States to combat the influence of these foreign cartels,” Murphy explained.

“Mexican drug cartels and violent gangs don’t limit their activity to the big cities, but you can be sure that we are focused on these drug cartels and violent gangs wherever they are operating all over the country and the world.”

Involved sheriffs such as Rapides Parish’s Mark Wood, Vernon’s Sam Craft and Grant’s Steven McCain all emphasized the importance of having both state, local and federal officials involved in the investigation, labeling it as ‘extraordinary.’

“I’m hoping that the public will see the combined efforts of multiple agencies being involved in what it can do when everybody works together,” Craft said.

View the full indictment below:

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Copyright 2026 KALB. All rights reserved.

Louisiana Revenue Information Bulletin No. 25-032, issued Dec. 16, 2025, details major changes to the state’s income tax treatment of S corporations (S corps) following Act 382 of the 2025 Regular Legislative Session. Effective for tax periods beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2026, Louisiana will treat S corps as pass-through entities, aligning with their federal tax treatment. This means all income, losses, deductions, and credits will automatically pass through to shareholders, eliminating the need for a special election.

Treatment of S Corporations

For tax years before 2026, S corps were taxed as C corporations (C corps) by Louisiana and were required to file Form CIT-620, with the option to elect the S corp exclusion. Starting in 2026, S corps will file an informational return using Form CIT-620.  Instead of the S corps paying corporate income tax (unless they elect to, see below), the shareholders will report their share of income and tax on it on their own returns. As with C corps, the Louisiana Franchise Tax has also been repealed for S corps for years beginning on and after Jan. 1, 2026.

C Corporation Entity Election Still Available

S corps may still make an affirmative election to be taxed as a C corp for Louisiana income tax purposes. This may be advantageous for federal income tax purposes, as entity-level income is generally deductible by individual shareholders, whereas shareholder-level income may be limited depending on several factors. Electing corporations must pay estimated taxes and cannot file a composite return on behalf of their nonresident shareholders.

Composite Returns

S corps that do not elect to be taxed as a C corp can choose to file composite returns and make composite tax payments on behalf of their nonresident shareholders, provided they do not have a net loss for the period. In addition, if a composite return is filed for an S corp, the S corp makes a composite payment on behalf of the nonresident shareholder, and such composite return represents the nonresident shareholder’s only Louisiana income, then the shareholder does not need to file a separate Louisiana return.

Qualified Subchapter S Subsidiaries

Qualified Subchapter S Subsidiaries (QSubs) will also be treated as disregarded entities beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2026, with their income included on the parent S corp’s return.

Estimated Tax Payments

Estimated tax payments are no longer required from S corps that do not elect to pay tax as a C corp; however, they may be made voluntarily if a composite return is expected. Nonresident shareholders are responsible for their own estimated payments unless the S corp makes composite payments on their behalf.

Summary

The bulletin provides guidance on changes to the filing requirements and procedures related to new rules applicable to S corps. Such rules are intended to simplify compliance and align Louisiana’s tax treatment of S corps with federal standards.

If you have any questions about Louisiana’s new tax treatment of S corps and the option available to them to be treated as a C corp, please contact a CBIZ State and Local Tax professional.