Colorado Ranked #1 in Education: Investments in Universal Preschool, Full-Day Kindergarten and Innovative Workforce and Higher Education Pathways Propel State to Top Spot

Rising from the No. 3 in 2025 to No. 1 Spot in 2026

DENVER - Today, Governor Jared Polis announced that Colorado ranks as the Best State for Education by the U.S. News and World Report, rising from the No. 3 spot in 2025 to the No. 1 spot in 2026.

"Over the past eight years, we've delivered full-day kindergarten, universal preschool, and historic improvements in our public schools because education is the single best investment we can make in Colorado's future. In Colorado, we start earlier, support school choice, invest in our students and teachers, focus on improving results, recognize that learning does not end at 3pm, and are making career and higher education more relevant and accessible. Helping Colorado become the best state in the nation for education is one of the proudest moments of my time as governor and this moment belongs to all the education leaders, communities, teachers, parents and especially our students who made it possible," said Governor Polis.

"This ranking reaffirms that Colorado is building an education system where every student can start strong, stay engaged, and leave ready for a bright future. By investing in our educators, strengthening early learning, expanding pathways to college and careers, and supporting students every step of the way, we are ensuring that every child and family in Colorado has access to the opportunities they need to succeed," said Dr. Susana Córdova, Commissioner of Education.

"Colorado's recognition as the top state for education is a reflection of our commitment to children and families from the very beginning. Learning starts long before a child enters kindergarten, and investing in high-quality early childhood experiences helps set the stage for success in school and beyond. This honor belongs to the families, educators, providers, and communities across our state who work every day to give children the strongest possible start. Together, we're building a future where every child has the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive," said Colorado Department of Early Childhood Executive Director Dr. Lisa Roy.

"This recognition reflects Colorado's progress in increasing postsecondary attainment, improving student success, and expanding educational opportunities beyond the traditional classroom. As we strengthen connections between education, training and workforce development, we are creating a more seamless system that helps learners gain the skills, credentials and degrees they need to succeed. Colorado's educational excellence is measured not only by access, but by the opportunities it creates for students and families across our state," said Colorado Department of Higher Education Executive Director JB Holston.

According to the U.S. News and World Report, the improvement is tied to preschool enrollment, increases in two-year college completion rate, and postsecondary college attainment.

Starting Earlier - Early Childhood Education

In 2019, Governor Polis was proud to sign bipartisan legislation creating free, full-day kindergarten, saving families thousands of dollars per year. This major milestone was followed shortly after Colorado voters approved free preschool in 2023. Today, free preschool saves families more than $6,300 per year. In Program Year 2024 - 2025 free preschool served 49,126 three and four-year-olds, and in the 25-26 program year more than 60,000 Colorado children were served. Colorado also created and then expanded the Family Affordability Tax Credit, which can help support access to early education and affordable options for child care. Since its launch in 2023, universal preschool has served over 129,000 Colorado children.

Expanding Colorado's Leadership in Public-School Choice

During the last eight years, the Polis administration has expanded and protected public-school choice while working to make it fairer and more accessible. Today, nearly 40% of Colorado public-school students - more than 347,000 children - attend a public school other than the one assigned to them based on their address. Colorado also currently has 262 public charter schools serving 136,627 students - nearly 16% of statewide public-school enrollment.

In 2024, Colorado provided full mill-levy equalization for schools authorized by the Charter School Institute. In 2026, the state required districts considering capital-construction ballot measures to solicit proposals from their charter schools, respond to those proposals, and explain any decisions not to include a charter school's facility needs.

Historic K-12 Investments

Governor Polis has consistently worked alongside the General Assembly to increase funding and expand access to educational opportunities. Since taking office in 2019, Colorado has increased per-pupil funding by $3,276 per student, a more than 50 percent increase per pupil compared to the beginning of the Polis administration.

During Governor Polis' second term, Colorado eliminated the Budget Stabilization Factor and fully funded Colorado schools at the level required by the state constitution for the first time since 2009. Colorado also enacted the first major overhaul of the state's school-finance formula in nearly 30 years, directing more resources toward students experiencing poverty, English learners, students with disabilities, and districts with greater needs.

The state has also made major investments to support student growth in Math and Science. This includes Zearn, an online digital math accelerator to help students increase their scores. At the end of 2025, a year-one study of more than 6,000 students in Colorado ranging grades fourth through eighth revealed that students in Colorado who consistently used Zearn saw a positive increase in math achievement scores. In 2020, a grant through the Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER) fund provided statewide access to Zearn licenses for all elementary and middle schools in the state to increase math proficiency for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years.

Focusing on Fundamentals and Measurable Outcomes

Colorado has used science and data to guide policy. In 2019, the State strengthened the READ Act, emphasizing phonetics and evidence-based reading instruction and better preparation for teachers. And in 2023, Colorado created evidence-informed training for educators to better support students learning math, including strategies for students who are below grade level, students with disabilities, and multilingual learners.

Colorado expanded the Ninth Grade Success Program to prevent students from falling behind in the critical high school transition.

Governor Polis also championed education at the national level at the National Governors Association (NGA). As the 2024-25 NGA Chair, Governor Polis launched Let's Get Ready: Educating All Americans for Success, a yearlong initiative designed to support the nation's Governors in driving innovative education policies. Let's Get Ready helped Governors form policies that better evaluate outcomes for state investments in education and improve outcomes for learners at all stages of their education journey. The initiative also focused on ways states could meet the future needs of the workforce by preparing students for success in and outside of the classroom. Colorado is one of six states participating in a policy academy to release a public dashboard highlighting Colorado students' readiness across academic preparedness, postsecondary and workforce readiness, civic engagement, and lifelong wellbeing metrics.

Recognizing that Learning Doesn't Stop at 3 p.m.-or At The End of May

Governor Polis signed HB23-1231, creating the Colorado Academic Accelerator Program (COAPP) to provide grants for afterschool STEM tutoring. Since the 2024-25 school year, the Colorado Department of Education has allocated nearly $16 million to 22 grantees operating 53 community learning centers across the state. This has translated to approximately $14 million in savings for families on afterschool care, summer programming, and tutoring. A third party evaluator has also found that 55.8% of schools with COAAP programming had lower chronic absenteeism rates in 2024-25 compared to the prior year and 76.4% of students assessed showed improvement in mathematics after participation in COAAP.

Colorado also supports High-Impact Tutoring, an intensive, data-driven model centered on frequent, sustained interaction between students and tutors, and developed free mathematics-intervention toolkits for teachers, families, tutors, and out-of-school-time programs.

Strengthening Colorado's Workforce and Expanding Training Pathways

Colorado isn't just leading in early childhood education and K-12, but also as a model for the nation in higher education and new workforce and training pathways. Under Governor Polis' leadership, Colorado has made significant progress to increase training opportunities and exposure to skills building before they even leave high school. Last year, 65,000 high school students in Colorado earned some form of postsecondary credit, a credential, or time spent completing an apprenticeship or some form of meaningful work-based learning opportunities. The state keeps expanding new opportunities for learners of all ages.

Department of Workforce Readiness and Higher Education: Earlier this year, Governor Polis signed HB26-1317 to create an integrated Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development to transform how Coloradans access education and training, how businesses meet their workforce needs, and how the state measures success. A unified agency will create clear pathways for learners, streamlined support for employers, and coordinated investment in Colorado's system. Rather than navigating multiple agencies with competing priorities, Coloradans would engage with a single, responsive system designed around their success.

Two free years of college for eligible Coloradans. Governor Polis signed HB24-1340 making it free to Coloradans who make up to $90,000 per year to attend a community or technical college for free or significantly reduce the cost for Coloradans attending a four-year university, by making two years free.

Governor Polis oversaw the creation of two new efforts to support Colorado's workforce.

Care Forward Colorado made it free for Coloradans pursuing healthcare degrees to attend community and technical college for free. The effort created more than 10,000 newly credentialed workers in health care. Similarly, Career Advance Colorado helped credential more than 10,500 students in in-demand construction, nursing, early childhood, and law enforcement jobs for free.

In 2022, Governor Polis launched Opportunity Now, a grant program to connect Colorado workers to job opportunities, strengthening Colorado's workforce. To date, Opportunity Now has awarded $92 million in grants to 109 grantees in each of Colorado's 64 counties. The end result is placing 20,000 Coloradans into in-demand advanced industry, health care, education and infrastructure jobs.

Early Childhood Workforce: Colorado continues to strengthen and invest in its early childhood workforce. By Tax Day 2026, more than 19,000 early childhood professionals claimed the state's refundable tax credit, returning an estimated $23.1 million to Colorado's mixed-delivery early childhood system. At the same time, over 31,000 early childhood professionals now hold an active Early Childhood Professional Credential, representing 72% of the state's workforce-up from 54% in 2024-demonstrating continued progress in building and supporting a highly qualified workforce.

Governor Polis served six years on the Colorado State Board of Education, founded and served as Superintendent of the New America School, and served on the Committee on Education and Labor in the United States Congress including as the ranking member of the Early Childhood and K-12 Education subcommittee during the 115th Congress.

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