Tennessee kids rank well in health, poor in education

By The Associated Press

NASHVILLE (AP) — The latest comparison by the Annie E. Casey Foundation finds Tennessee’s kids are the healthiest in the South.

According to The Tennessean, the annual Kids Count evaluation placed Tennessee 16th in the nation in children’s well-being.

The study, however, went beyond health issues and found one in four children in Tennessee is being raised in poverty. The education ranking was a poor 42nd, based on the dropout rate, preschool attendance and performance in math and reading.

A change in the way states were evaluated helped boost the state’s snapshot of children’s health. The foundation dropped infant mortality and added health insurance coverage. Only 5 percent of Tennessee’s children aren’t insured.

The top states for children’s well-being were New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Vermont. Nevada, New Mexico and Mississippi ranked lowest.