Minnesota remains a top state for children overall, but its education ranking has fallen as new data shows the state is recovering more slowly than its peers.

Minnesota ranked fifth overall in the nation for child well-being in the latest Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Book released this week. But in the education category, the state slipped to 21st for the year of 2024, which is the most recent year cited in the report.

A year prior, in 2023, Minnesota ranked 18th in the nation, and the state was previously at ninth in 2019 and 2021, according to additional online data from the foundation.

This latest annual report, for the first time, compared some learning outcomes from before the pandemic to a few years after it. It found learning outcomes declined in Minnesota from 2019 to 2024, a trend seen in 47 states, but the data suggests Minnesota has been recovering at a slower pace than peer states, remaining ahead of the national average, but the gap thinned.

One example in the report is fourth grade reading. In 2019, 62% of Minnesota fourth graders were not proficient in reading, and in 2024 that rose to 69%.

That was still one percentage point better than the national average of 70% in 2024. But in 2019, Minnesota was 4% ahead of the national figure.

A spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) said a representative was not available for an interview Thursday. In a statement, MDE still largely pointed to the pandemic, adding, “Assessments are one data point to be considered along with other evidence of student learning…” and that Minnesota “…continues to see important academic improvement.”

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS asked some K-12 parents whether they thought there could be more behind the numbers than a pandemic-era decline in outcomes.

“Definitely, I don’t even blame that. I think it was harder for them to get on track with being out of school, maybe socially and behaviorally, but I feel like the high class size has a lot to do with it,” said a Minneapolis Public Schools parent. “Then again, I’m not in the classroom; I can just see from her scores that I know she could do better if she was given more special attention.”

“This past year in Minnesota has just been so intense, and then 2020, right, was so intense. And, have we really had a year that wasn’t since 2020? So the kids are probably kind of stressed out too,” said a teacher and mother of a Minneapolis charter school student. “I feel like there’s so much just stress in the environment that it.. it’s not surprising.”

“I mean, I’d have to imagine there’s probably a lot of funding issues,” said a St. Paul schools parent. “I think it’s just really, like, about what that local area has for funding and what they do with the money that they’re taking in from taxes.”

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS also asked MDE whether it is considering any shifts in strategy or curriculum. A spokesperson pointed to recent financial investments including universal free meals and a 2023 state law that changed how reading is taught and required the same approach statewide.

See MDE’s full response below:

“The Kids Count data reflect the reality that COVID-19 detrimentally affected schools across the country and students and families are still recovering from the lasting impacts. Yet, Minnesota is among the strongest-performing states on key measurements identified in the report based on National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) and continues to see important academic improvement. The report also reaffirms Minnesota is consistently one of the best states for children.

“According to the report, math achievement levels among Minnesota fourth graders at or above proficiency on NAEP increased by 4 percentage points over 2022. Eighth graders’ math performance showed improvement on NAEP at all four achievement levels. Minnesota remains well above the national average for math.

“Significant public education investments in the past several years strengthen Minnesota Department of Education’s (MDE) commitment to ensuring every student receives a high-quality education. Universal free meals, the READ Act, student mental health supports, and COMPASS all contribute to overall child well-being and academic achievement, which are essential to the success of Minnesota’s children in the long-term. We have not yet seen the full impact of these investments, but the data show encouraging progress. Many districts across the state have reported significant increases in reading fluency in the classroom as they continue to implement science of reading-aligned curriculum. Full implementation of the READ Act is set for this fall.

“It’s important to take into consideration the complexities of comparing state-by-state data. Many factors influence how data are aggregated, including differences in local statutes, student demographics, retention polices, and assessment standards.

“While assessments may provide information about the extent to which students have learned certain concepts, they alone do not illustrate the whole picture of what students have learned. Assessments are one data point to be considered along with other evidence of student learning, such as student projects and assignments and other data from the district’s comprehensive assessment system. Statewide assessment results should always be used alongside additional evidence of student learning when used for data-based decision-making. Overall, the Kids Count report clearly shows children and families in Minnesota have excellent access to the resources and support they need to thrive.”

A new research report says Minnesota’s major political parties and their endorsed candidates do not closely match most voters.

Several local polls, including 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS/SurveyUSA data, were compiled by distinguished Hamline University political science and legal studies professor David Schultz.

Schultz found that the average Minnesota voter sits closest to 60 on a scale where 0 is the most Republican possible and 100 is the most Democratic possible. Both the Republican Party of Minnesota and the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party rank farther from that middle, at 23 and 80, respectively.

“These numbers kind of show that the two parties are picking candidates that are not close to where the average Minnesotan is,” Schultz said. “Therefore, for the average voter showing up to vote, they may be looking at it saying, ‘Gosh, these candidates just don’t line up where I am, and either have to sort of say, ‘I’m going to vote for the lesser of two evils,’ or maybe decide not to vote.”

Voters in the north and south metro weigh in

“I’m not so sure that the parties are really listening to, I think, they have a lot of their own, you know, internal workings and a lot of their own agenda that they’re really kind of working through,” said Jack Alexander.

“Instead of loyal to the people, most of the time they’re loyal to the party, and we see that in all phases of government,” said Kendrick Robertson.

“I feel like our tax money is going toward places it shouldn’t be. I feel like it’s not really a democracy as much as it used to be,” said Megan Roller.

Schultz said most Minnesotans are more moderate or “a little left of center” at 60.

“What I mean by that, they’re pro-choice, but not unrestricted pro-choice,” Schultz said.

“They are supportive, let’s say, of a social welfare program in the state, but are very concerned about spending, fraud, about taxes. And so again, they don’t line up in the way that either of the two parties line up at this point, and the two parties appear to be driven by the activists again, pulling them at the extremes.”

Schultz said he was “startled” by how the party platforms ranked, adding that the gap matters because it means voters are “losing out in a couple ways.”

“One, when it goes to the general election, they’re not having the choice of the candidates that most represent them,” he noted.

Further, he said once either party is in office, the result can be public policy that is more polarized than most Minnesotans support, or policies that don’t pass due to partisan gridlock.

Asked if he believed either party is doing anything to get closer to meeting the majority of Minnesota voters where they stand, Schultz replied, “Actually, no, at this point.”

Party response

Neither party’s leadership accepted interview requests over the last three days. 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS followed up with both parties in an email again on Wednesday to ask if there’s anything they’re doing to bring their party more in line with voters, among other questions.

In an email response, Minnesota DFL Party Chair Richard Carlbom said the party “has directly engaged over 187,000 people in the last year,” and that nearly 60 percent of attendees at the recent DFL state convention were first-time participants, including some Republicans and independents.

The Republican Party of Minnesota had not responded.

See complete questions and response from the Minnesota DFL Party attributed to Chair Richard Carlbom below:

Is there anything the Minnesota DFL Party is doing/considering in an effort to bring the party more in line with Minnesota voters?

“The Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party has directly engaged over 187,000 people in the last year. More than 37,000 people showed up to DFL precinct caucuses. More than 50,000 Minnesotans trained to be constitutional observers, including 10,000 who trained with our party. By the end of just this month, we’ll have reached out to 100,000 people at the doors — that’s 100,000 more Minnesotans than we had at this point in 2024. The DFL represents Minnesotan voters because working people are the engine moving our party forward.

Nearly 60% of our DFL state convention attendees were participating in the process for the first time. Of those first-timers, over 20% were Republicans and independents. This is what happens when we listen and grow our coalition of Minnesota voters — they show up.”

Schultz points to some pattern of non-endorsed candidates winning primaries. He also points to the U.S. Senate race as an example for reporting on this topic, arguing that the DFL candidate most in line with Minnesota voters is Angie Craig, but Angie Craig opted not to seek the party’s endorsement. What does that pattern and Craig’s decision not to seek endorsement tell the Minnesota DFL Party, if anything?

“The DFL endorsement is a grassroots process open to anyone driven by our shared values. Minnesotans want protections for our fundamental American rights and freedoms. They want relief for expensive gas, groceries, and housing. They want action on public safety and gun violence prevention. They want ICE out of our communities and our leaders to stand up to Donald Trump. Our candidates are fighting for just that. 

This year’s U.S. Senate Race is not a good comparison to previous contested endorsements — those races featured closely divided conventions that took multiple rounds of balloting to endorse a candidate.

DFL delegates overwhelmingly endorsed Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan as our candidate for U.S. Senate by acclamation, reflecting broad support across every region of Minnesota and the DFL Party base. We are laser focused on electing her and our incredible slate of endorsed candidates from governor all the way to state representatives in November.“

Schultz argues that, like the move away from caucuses to Presidential primaries, it may be time for the same with statewide elections in Minnesota. What does the Minnesota DFL Party think about that?

“At its core, caucuses and conventions are a meeting of neighbors discussing what they need from their leaders. That’s why we have DFLers running in every legislative district in Minnesota and Republicans have the lowest number of candidates since the Nixon resignation. Minnesota has a long history of successful endorsements and competitive primaries. Our convention concluded with a slate of candidates focused on the needs of working people, and that’s the energy we’re bringing to the midterm election.”

Does the Minnesota DFL Party have any other comment in response to the findings in this research report?

“Ultimately, the candidates running for office will make their case to the voters. That’s who decides — not a single report. Take a look at the candidates the DFL has endorsed. They fit the bill of what voters are asking for.“