School children interact with their teacher.
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As the back-to-school season approaches — or, in some states, has already begun — students, teachers, and parents are preparing for another year of hard work and focus on school.But the extent to which children care about learning varies across US states, according to a 2023-2024 study by the National Survey of Children's Health, a data collection program funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau.The analysis included responses from 70,282 children across the US between the ages of 6 and 17 and asked parents and guardians two questions: how often does this child care about doing well in school, and how often does this child do all the required homework?The answers were then reflected into three categories: "always," "usually," and "sometimes or never" engaged in school. Those categorized in "always" put that answer for both questions. Those in "usually" responded to both questions as "usually" or to one as "usually" and the other as "always." All remaining children were classified as "sometimes or never."Those in the Northeast, including New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania, had the largest shares of children reported as always engaged in school. Children in New Hampshire and Vermont, however, were among the least engaged; Alaska ranked last.Still, the findings offer a snapshot of how consistently caregivers say children are motivated and completing their schoolwork — not a direct measure of academic performance or school quality.Engagement can be shaped by many overlapping factors, like family routines, disability or mental health needs, school workload, chronic absenteeism, and access to tutoring or after-school care. The interpretation of "always" and "usually" may also vary by respondent.Here's how children ages 6 to 17 in every state and Washington, DC, fared.
