Report: Pennsylvania ranks bottom third in 'educational freedom'

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(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania ranks in the bottom third of states overall in educational freedom, according to a new report.

The Heritage Foundation’s Education Freedom Report Card ranked the commonwealth 36th overall, down six places from 2025, with declines in three of five categories: education choice, teacher freedom, and transparency; and in return on investment and civics education. 

The rankings combine policies and statistics from multiple years, including 2020-2021 school spending, 2024 national assessment results, and more recent information on education choice and teacher certification.

Pennsylvania ranked 26th  in education choice, 32nd in transparency, 35th in return on investment, 37th in teacher freedom, and 48th in civic education. 

Rep. Barbara Gleim, R-Carlisle, told The Center Square that Pennsylvania deserves its ranking, and she hopes it doesn’t fall further.

Gleim, chair of the House Education Committee’s Basic Education Subcommittee, advocates for universal school choice, stronger education tax credits, changes to the school funding formula, and teacher certification barriers. 

She contrasted Pennsylvania’s performance with neighboring West Virginia, which ranked 11th overall and outperformed the commonwealth in all five categories.

“Look how much better they are,” Gleim said. “They were one of the first ones in the nation to have universal school choice.”

Education spending and student achievement

Pennsylvania ranked 35th in return on investment, or ROI, improving one place from 2025. 

The report says Pennsylvania spends the ninth-most per pupil nationally, at $20,615 annually after adjusting for cost of living, but ranks 17th in combined fourth-and eighth-grade reading and mathematics scores on the National Assessment of Education Progress. 

Unfunded teacher pension liabilities, equivalent to 6.3% of the state’s gross domestic product, also affect its ranking. 

Gleim argues that increased spending has not produced corresponding academic gains, citing education spending rising from approximately $12 billion to $18 billion since 2017-2018 while reading scores declined. She also noted a 5% rise in statewide education staffing over the past decade despite a 2% decline in student enrollment.

The relationship between spending and achievement also surfaced during a recent gubernatorial debate. 

Democratic incumbent Gov. Josh Shapiro highlighted his administration’s investment in universal free school breakfast, available to approximately 1.7 million public school students, while Republican nominee and state Treasurer Stacy Garrity questioned whether increased spending has improved academic performance. 

Garrity cited federal assessment data showing that 69% of Pennsylvania eighth graders failed to reach the NAEP proficiency benchmark in reading.

Recent state assessment results were mixed. Mathematics proficiency rose from 40.2% to 41.7% in 2024-25, while English language arts proficiency declined from 53.9% to 49.9%. 

Teacher certification and workforce shortages

Pennsylvania fell six places to 37th in teacher freedom, with the report citing certification requirements, limited alternative pathways, and restrictions on license reciprocity as barriers to entering the profession.

Gleim said teacher shortages are compounded by what she considers the nation’s most difficult and time-consuming certification process. “It has been brought up multiple times in hearings, and it doesn’t seem like they’re willing to listen to any options to make it easier,” she said. 

She questioned requiring some education degree holders to pass the Praxis examination and cited difficulties faced by out-of-state teachers, military spouses, and experienced tradespeople seeking vocational teaching credentials. 

For example, she said an electrician with 25 years of industry experience could still need to complete approximately 58 additional credit hours of coursework at personal expense to qualify for a vocational teaching certificate. 

Education choice and transparency

Education choice was Pennsylvania’s highest-ranked category at 26th^, down two places from 2025.

While crediting the state’s private and charter school options, the foundation recommended expanding private education choice programs, adopting K-12 education savings accounts, easing charter school and homeschooling restrictions, and allowing families greater flexibility in selecting public schools.

Gleim raised concerns about charter school funding reductions. “So, we actually have two or three charters that are on the brink of closing now because the funding was cut so badly,” she said. 

Pennsylvania fell eight places to 32nd in academic transparency. Although state law requires school districts to allow parents to review curricula, Heritage recommended extending access to taxpayers, policymakers, and voters, as well as adopting a parental bill of rights and rejecting the application of critical race theory. 

Civic education remains near the bottom

The commonwealth ranked 48th in civic education for the second consecutive year, despite its prominent role in the nation’s founding. 

High school students must take a civics or citizenship examination but are not required to pass it to graduate. 

Gleim suggested encouraging or requiring all schools to include a civics unit in social studies curricula. “I just don’t understand why we keep slow walking it. It’s all we do in Pennsylvania; slow walk education,” she said.

Heritage also cited the state’s below-average number of classical education schools per capita and the lack of public university recognition of the Classic Learning Test, an alternative to the SAT and ACT. 

Nationally, Florida, Arizona, and Arkansas received the highest overall rankings, while Vermont, Rhode Island, and Maine finished at the bottom.