Arkansas ranked 43rd in the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book. The state improved two spots from its ranking of 45th in last year’s Data Book, while its increase in uninsured children dropped the state to 48th in the health domain.
Health was one of four areas studied, each composed of four indicators. Arkansas was 33rd in economic well-being, 40th in education, and 45th in family and community.
Among those domains, Arkansas’ teen birth rate continued to fall, though it remains much higher than the national average. Its percentage of young children enrolled in pre-K fell. Scores in fourth grade reading and eighth grade math declined…