Montana Ranks 49th for Early Education in New Report

With only 11 states currently offering universal pre-K education, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on 2025's States with the Best & Worst Early Education Systems.

In order to determine the best early education systems in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 12 key metrics. The data set ranges from the share of school districts that offer a state pre-K program to the number of pre-K quality benchmarks met and total reported spending per child enrolled in pre-K.

Quality of Early Education in Montana (1=Best; 25=Average):

Overall Rank: 49th
46th – Share of 3- and 4-year-olds Enrolled in pre-K, pre-K Special Education and Head Start
47th – Total Reported Spending per Child Enrolled in Preschool
15th – Total State Head Start Program Spending per Child Enrolled in Preschool
38th – Monthly Child Care Co-Payment Fees as a Percent of Family Income
46th – Pre-K Program Growth - Change of Preschool Enrollment for 3- and 4-year-olds

Per WalletHub’s Report, Montana ranks 3rd worst for early education in the country:
🔗 WalletHub Report

WalletHub

What This Means for Missoula

In Missoula County, access to affordable and high-quality early education remains a growing concern. According to the 2023 State of the Young Child in Missoula report from Zero to Five Missoula, about 57% of families with young children said they had difficulty finding reliable childcare or preschool options.

Missoula’s public school system does not currently offer universal pre-K, and many families rely on a limited number of private preschools, Head Start, or childcare centers. Local programs like the Missoula Early Learning Center, Families First Learning Lab, and Child Start, Inc. offer services, but waitlists and affordability remain major barriers for many working families.

The Cost of Preschool in Missoula

A 2022 study by the University of Montana’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research found that the average monthly cost of full-time preschool in Missoula was over $900 per child, placing additional strain on low- and middle-income households.

In the same report, business leaders noted that lack of access to early education and childcare also affects the workforce. Many parents of young children in Missoula reported reducing work hours or leaving jobs entirely due to limited early education options.

WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo stated, “The more that states invest in early education, and the more accessible they make those programs, the more they will benefit in the future. Having access to quality early education gives students a jump start that can improve their future performance in school, as well as lead to better job opportunities and higher earnings in the long-term.”

Education experts agree early learning plays a key role in long-term success.

Christopher Lubienski, PhD, Center for Evaluation & Education Policy Director and Indiana University professor said, “Decades of research have shown that outside-of-school influences outweigh in-school factors like teaching and curriculum. So, things like home environment, nutrition, and family stability and support are really important in determining whether a child will be successful in school. Of course, not all children have equal access to good support systems outside of school. So education – and especially early education – is a crucial if imperfect way of helping all students succeed.”

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