Safest States for Schools to Reopen – WalletHub Study

With some students learning online or experiencing a hybrid of online and in-person classes due to COVID-19, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on the Safest States for Schools to Reopen.

To identify which states have the safest conditions for reopening schools, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 15 key metrics. Our data set includes such things as the number of child COVID-19 cases per 100,000 children, the average public-school class size, and the ratio of students to school nurses. Below, you can see highlights from the report, along with a WalletHub Q&A.

Best vs. Worst

• Vermont has the fewest child COVID-19 cases per 100,000 children, 140.60, which is 10.2 times fewer than in Tennessee, the state with the most at 1,430.60.
• California has the lowest share of K-12 public school students transported through school transportation, 10.04 percent, which is 9.4 times lower than in Minnesota, the state with the highest at 94.26 percent.
• Vermont has the lowest pupil/teacher ratio, 10.50, which is 2.2 times lower than in Arizona, the state with the highest at 23.53.
• North Dakota has the lowest share of seniors living with school-age children, 0.91 percent, which is 16.6 times lower than in Hawaii, the state with the highest at 15.12 percent.
• Vermont has the lowest share of children living in crowded housing, 5.00 percent, which is 6.4 times lower than in Hawaii, the state with the highest at 32.00 percent.
• Vermont has the lowest student-to-school nurse ratio, 323.30, which is 13.8 times lower than in Utah, the state with the highest at 4,474.52.
• New York has the highest total current spending on elementary & secondary schools per pupil, $24,040, which is 3.2 times higher than in Utah, the state with the lowest at $7,628.

To view the full report and your state’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/safest-states-for-schools-to-reopen/79230/

Q&A with WalletHub

Why is in-person schooling so important for the economy?

“In-person schooling is vital for the economy because it both provides temporary supervision for children during the day and most importantly helps students have a better chance of achieving future economic success. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the most immediate concern is that when a child has to stay home to do online schooling, one parent will need to also stay home if the child is not old enough to be left alone. This puts a particularly high burden on single parents who can’t work from home, who may not be able to earn a living while their child remains home,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “In the long term, studies show that in-person schooling provides more effective learning for students, in addition to better social development and mental health, compared to online learning. Students who get instruction in the classroom therefore may have better economic futures. Of course, we should put everyone’s safety first, and only open schools in a safe way.”

How can schools that are conducting online learning support low-income students with fewer resources at home?

“Schools that are conducting online learning have a responsibility to make sure low-income students have access to the same resources as their peers, including reliable devices and Wi-Fi. School districts should provide laptops to students who cannot afford them, as well as set up Wi-Fi hotspots that ensure all students have constant internet access,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “Low-income students may also need free lunches each day, and parents should contact their school or visit the USDA website to see where they can pick up those meals while schools remain closed.”