6/12/2026

UPPER MICHIGAN - For the first time, the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Kids Count Data Book is doing more than ranking states. This year's report assigned Michigan a child well-being score of 527 out of one-thousand, placing it at 34th nationally. While the state ranks 21st in child health, education remains a challenge at 42nd. Anne Kuhnen with the Michigan League for Public Policy says the new scoring system offers a better way to track progress.

                    0:07  "It takes the regular categories that we normally look at. In addition to providing a ranking of how we're doing compared to other states."

Michigan is among the bottom five states for fourth grade reading proficiency. The report also found three in four eighth graders aren't proficient in math. Kuhnen says policymakers are aware of the state's literacy crisis, and the report is intended to help leaders identify which investments are improving outcomes for children.