Report: Mississippi ranks last in child health despite education gains

Mississippi ranks last in child health and 50th overall in child well-being, the Annie E. Casey Foundation said in its 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book released Thursday, even as the state’s education ranking held steady at 16th.

The foundation said Mississippi’s 16th-place education ranking is unchanged from last year and is the highest score the state has received under the foundation’s rubric. The foundation credited investments in teacher training, early education infrastructure and the 2013 Literacy-Based Promotion Act for gains in early reading. “Mississippi’s continued progress is the result of effective work by our educators, supportive families throughout the years, and strong policies,” Lance Evans, state superintendent of education, said in a press release about the report.

The Data Book placed Mississippi 49th in economic well-being, 50th in health and 49th in family and community. The report said Mississippi fell slightly in some categories this year because other states also made improvements. Mississippi’s overall child well-being ranking dropped to 50th from 48th last year, the foundation said.

The report noted chronic absenteeism remains a major challenge. The Data Book defined chronic absenteeism as missing 10 percent of the school year, or about 18 school days, and said 27.6 percent of Mississippi students met that definition, more than double the pre-pandemic level. The foundation also said absenteeism is linked to student achievement and that small schools in high-poverty districts are especially affected.

Ashley Parker Sheils, executive director of the Children’s Foundation of Mississippi, said the results were bittersweet. Her organization helps produce a county-level factbook that accompanies the Data Book. “You see the numbers and you have that moment of, ‘Should we just pack up and go home?'” Sheils said. “There’s definitely disappointment … We must improve and do better for our children.”

Source: Original Article