A Quarter of a Million Children Attend Texas Pre-K, Quality Improvements are Urgently Needed
States looking to address the child care crisis are expanding access to free pre-k for 3- and 4-year-olds. However, researchers warn that access without quality isn’t enough to improve student outcomes. Meanwhile, Georgia Pre-K sets a new example for the nation.
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – A new national report today finds that Texas ranked 12th in preschool access for 4-year-olds, down from 11th last year. Texas ranked 16th in preschool access for 3-year-olds, down from 15th last year. In 2024-2025, Texas served 52% of its 4-year-olds and 11% of 3-year-olds in state-funded pre-K. Texas ranked toward the bottom (37th) in spending per child among all states, down from 35th last year.
The National Institute for Early Education Research’s 2025 State of Preschool Yearbook presents a critical snapshot of preschool education in America. Currently, 44 states and DC fund preschool programs. Most state pre-K programs continue to primarily or only serve 4-year-olds. Nationally, enrollment reached 37% of 4-year-olds but only 9% of 3-year-olds.
In Texas, the report found that, in the 2024-2025 school year:
· Texas enrolled 248,483 children, an increase of 112 from the prior year.
· State spending totaled $996,609,407, down $84,504,056 (8%), adjusted for inflation, since last year.
· State spending per child equaled $4,395 in 2024-2025, down $373 from 2023-2024, adjusted for inflation.
· Texas met only 2 of 10 research-based quality standards benchmarks recommended by NIEER.
“When states invest in quality preschool programs that can produce strong outcomes, they invest in a better future for children and taxpayers,” said NIEER director Steve Barnett. “Texas is one of 12 states to enroll more than half of 4-year-olds in preschool, but providing a quality program requires more funding and higher standards. Texas should look to neighboring Oklahoma and New Mexico as examples of state preschool programs that meet recommended quality benchmarks.”
Nationally, state support for preschool education hit record highs in enrollment and funding in 2024-2025. The pace of growth slowed, however, compared to the prior year, and many states continue to lag behind pre-pandemic enrollment levels.
Georgia’s state-funded pre-K program for 4-year-olds made history this year. It became the largest state-funded preschool program in the nation to meet all 10 quality benchmarks recommended by NIEER, and the first universal program to do so. Only 5 additional states meet all 10 of NIEER’s research-based benchmarks for quality —Alabama, Hawaii, Michigan, Mississippi, and Rhode Island — in this year’s report. None of those programs have the reach of Georgia’s Pre-K Program. NIEER’s benchmarks measure essential preschool quality indicators, including teacher qualifications, class sizes, early learning standards, and curriculum supports.
“Not only does preschool access vary by which state a child happens to live in, but so does the quality of that preschool experience,” said Allison Friedman-Krauss, lead author of the report. “Only high-quality early care and education programs support children’s development enough to result in lasting academic and other gains that ultimately deliver savings for taxpayers.”
States spent nearly $14.4 billion on preschool in 2024-2025. Twenty-eight states increased their investments in preschool from the prior year, for a total increase of $434 million, or 3%, adjusted for inflation. Including federal and local dollars, total spending was almost $17.7 billion. Three states each spent more than $1 billion last year: California ($4.1 billion), New Jersey ($1.2 billion), and New York ($1 billion). Together, these three states account for 45% of all state preschool spending. Texas adds almost another $1 billion.
Additional information about the 2025 State of Preschool Yearbook, including individual state profiles and maps, graphs, and state rankings, can be found at www.nieer.org.
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The 2025 State of Preschool Yearbook was supported with funding from the Heising-Simons Foundation and the Gates Foundation.
The National Institute for Early Education Research at the Rutgers Graduate School of Education, New Brunswick, NJ, supports early childhood education policy and practice through independent, objective research and the translation of research to policy and practice.