Alaska drops to 47th in country for children’s well-being

Published 10:30 am Monday, June 8, 2026

Alaska Children’s Trust is calling for bold investments in children and families after a 50-state report showed a troubling decline in Alaska kids’ well-being.

The 2026 Kids Count Data Book, developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, analyzes how children are faring across the country by using a comprehensive scoring index. The data revealed how Alaska’s policies and investments are affecting children’s daily lives, as the state dropped seven spots from last year to 47th in overall child well-being.

States received a comprehensive score from zero to 1,000 in the Data Book, tracking 16 indicators in four domains over a five-year period, from 2019 to 2024. The domains included economic well-being, education, health, and family and community factors.

This scoring system showed whether policies and public investment were actually improving children’s lives, rather than simply comparing states with each other. Alaska received an overall score of 385 — well below the national score of 547.

Alaska’s lowest scores were in education, ranking 49th with a score of 63, and economic well-being, ranking 48th with a score of 341. The state’s overall score has dropped 41 points since 2019, which is among the largest declines in the nation.

Trevor Storrs, president & CEO of Alaska Children’s Trust, says that dropping seven spots in a single year should serve as a warning and wake-up call.

“Alaska’s children deserve leaders who will look at this data and respond with action,” he said.

“We know what kids need to thrive — stable homes, strong schools, access to health care, and communities that support families — and the question is whether we’ll choose to invest accordingly or continue to invest downstream.”

Key findings from the Data Book for Alaska include:

• 78 percent of 4th graders scored below proficient in reading — ranked 49th

• 78 percent of 8th graders scored below proficient in math — ranked 40th

• 13 percent of children live in poverty
• nine percent of children lack health insurance — ranked 46th
• eight percent of children live in high-poverty neighborhoods — ranked 33rd

“Year after year, the Alaska Legislature has struggled to adequately fund essential child and family services, leaving critical programs chronically under-resourced,” Alaska Children’s Trust stated.

“School districts have been forced to cut programs, close schools, and increase class sizes, while educational outcomes continue to slide, and Alaska remains among the states with the highest youth suicide rates in the nation.”

Despite the decline, Alaska has advanced some meaningful changes in recent years, such as expanding access to child care assistance and broadening its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Supportive legislation was also passed this year that Alaska Children’s Trust is hoping the governor also supports, such as parental leave, increased funding for infant learning programs, and mental health curriculum for schools.