When a Republican criticizes the state of American education by pointing to poor literacy, math skills, and “fake histories”, the conversation often ignores a critical truth: the United States does not have a single, unified education system. Instead, we have 50 different ones, each largely shaped by state governments.
When we examine the data, a clear pattern emerges. Blue states, particularly those with strong Democratic leadership and robust teacher unions, consistently outperform their red-state counterparts in educational outcomes. The national averages are low not because of the blue states, but in spite of them.
Five key points from the article:
- Educational outcomes in America vary significantly by state, with blue states like Massachusetts consistently ranking among the best in the country and the world, while red states often underperform in reading, math, and graduation rates.
- The national average in education is dragged down by red states, which typically spend less per student, offer lower teacher pay, have weaker support systems, and offer fewer early childhood education programs.
- Republican-led states have actively undermined public education by slashing budgets, promoting privatization through charter schools and vouchers, and attacking teachers’ unions, which lowers educational outcomes rather than improving them.
- There is a strong link between teacher treatment and student performance: blue states tend to pay teachers better, offer stronger union protections, and retain more experienced educators, which contributes to higher academic achievement.
- When blue states are compared to global standards, they perform well, often matching or exceeding countries like Japan, Canada, and the Netherlands, while red states’ poor performance is the primary reason the U.S. lags in international education rankings.
The Misunderstood Role of Democrats and Teachers
It’s often pointed out, correctly, that most teachers vote Democrat and that teachers’ unions overwhelmingly support Democratic candidates. Republicans use this as a rhetorical weapon: if Democrats love education so much, why is the country failing at it?
But this line of attack deliberately overlooks the fact that education is primarily a state responsibility. When we separate the data by state governance, red vs. blue, the picture becomes clearer: states with Democratic leadership tend to have better-funded schools, higher teacher pay, more robust support services, and better educational outcomes across the board.
The Data Speaks: Blue States Outperform
Let’s start with the numbers. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), often referred to as the “Nation’s Report Card,” consistently shows states like Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont, and Minnesota, all blue states, ranking at or near the top in reading, math, and science.
Eighth-grade math scores in Massachusetts, for example, regularly rival those of high-performing countries like Japan and South Korea. In fact, if Massachusetts were its own country, it would be one of the best-educated nations in the world. The same is true for reading and science in states like New Jersey and Connecticut.
In contrast, many red states fall near the bottom of these rankings. States like Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, West Virginia, and Oklahoma frequently underperform in every major academic category, with lower proficiency rates in reading and math and higher high school dropout rates. These states also spend significantly less per pupil, have weaker early childhood education programs, and provide less access to qualified teachers.
Ideology, Underfunding, and the Red State Drag
One of the reasons red states underperform is that many have pursued policies that actively undermine public education. Several Republican-led states have cut education funding drastically over the past two decades. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, at least 25 states spent less on education in 2022 than they did before the 2008 recession, after adjusting for inflation, and most of those are GOP-controlled.
Furthermore, red states have pushed for privatization through charter schools and voucher programs, often diverting public funds from already under-resourced public schools. While these programs are touted as giving parents “choice,” they have not been shown to produce better academic outcomes and often leave behind the students who need the most help.
Add to this the frequent attacks on teachers’ unions and the rewriting of history curriculums to avoid uncomfortable truths about race, slavery, and social justice, and it becomes clear that many red states are prioritizing ideology over evidence-based education.
Teacher Pay and Student Outcomes
There is also a strong correlation between how states treat their teachers and how well their students perform. According to data from the National Education Association, blue states tend to offer higher teacher salaries, better benefits, and stronger union protections. These states also have lower teacher turnover and more experienced educators in the classroom.
Red states, by contrast, often pay teachers poorly and restrict union activities. This leads to higher attrition rates, more reliance on underqualified teachers, and worse outcomes for students. If you want quality education, you need quality teachers, and quality teachers are more likely to stay in systems that value and compensate them.
The Global Comparison
It’s also telling that when you compare individual blue states with global benchmarks, they stack up remarkably well. Massachusetts, for example, scored above the international average in reading and math on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), which evaluates education systems worldwide. New Jersey, Connecticut, and Vermont also hold their own against countries like Canada, the Netherlands, and Singapore.
But when the performance of low-ranking red states is included in the national average, the United States as a whole drops in global rankings. The reality is that our international underperformance isn’t because of the “Democrat-run” education system, it’s because of the persistent failures in Republican-led states.
Whatever You Do, Don’t Blame the Teachers
The next time someone asks how Democrats can be pro-education when the national numbers are so disappointing, they should first ask which states are bringing down the average. The evidence shows that the states with the strongest public education systems, highest test scores, and most qualified teachers are overwhelmingly Democratic.
The problem with American education isn’t that teachers are too progressive or unions too powerful. It’s that too many states governed by Republicans have consistently disinvested in their schools, chased petty ideological fights, and failed to deliver basic educational resources to both their students and their teachers.
If we want a nation where all children can read, write, and think critically, we should look to the states getting it right and ask the others why they are refusing to follow suit.