According to WalletHub, New Jersey is one of only eleven states to offer “universal pre-kindergarten,” i.e., preschool for all three and four-year olds.

That’s not completely true: Gov. Phil Murphy’s FY23-24 budget includes $1.1 billion for pre-K, an increase of about $110 million from last year yet not enough to make it universal for all eligible students. Yet it still places us #4 in the country for access to the important services preschool offers to children, particularly those from low-income households.

In general, the Garden State does pretty well. According to WalletHub’s twelve metrics, which rank each state and the District of Columbia on the share of school districts that offer a state pre-K program, the number of pre-K quality benchmarks met, and total reported spending per child enrolled in pre-K (about $14,000 per student in NJ), here is how we match up with other states:

Quality of Early Education in New Jersey (1=Best; 25=Avg.):

• 6th – Share of 3- and 4-year-olds Enrolled in pre-K, pre-K Special Education and Head Start
• 28th – Income Requirement for State Pre-K Eligibility
• 1st – Total Reported Spending per Child Enrolled in Preschool
• 5th – Total State Head Start Program Spending per Child Enrolled in Preschool
• 1st – Monthly Child Care Co-Payment Fees as a Percent of Family Income