Arizona students achievement gains over time ranked the state seventh in the nation, but that could not overcome the state’s spending for education, ranked at 50th in the nation, according to Education’s Week‘s 2017 Quality Counts report Under construction: Building on ESSA’s K-12  foundation.

Arizona’s state highlights report showed that Arizona received a D+, or 68.6 out of a total 100 points, ranking it 44th in the nation among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The national average was a C. The report includes an interactive map to compare states nationwide.

Infographic by Lisa Irish/AZEdNews
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This year’s results for Arizona are similar to previous report cards from 2016 and in 2015.

Arizona’s B grades in school finance equity and K-12 achievement equity, it earned a D in overall school finance and an F in school finance spending.

The chance for success index looks at education’s role in positive outcomes over an individual’s lifetime and takes into consideration 13 indicators from cradle to career that are grouped into three categories early foundations, school years and adult outcomes. Early foundations includes items that help children get off to a good start, while school years looks at things that range from preschool enrollment to post-secondary enrollment and adult outcomes examines post-secondary attainment and workforce indicators.

School finance looks at education spending patterns and measure equity by how funding is distributed to all school districts in the state. For Arizona, that means while K-12 education funding remains low in comparison to the rest of the nation, that funding is equitably distributed to all school districts in the state

The K-12 achievement index measures 18 items that relate to reading and math performance, high school graduation rates and the results of Advanced Placement exams. Status evaluates the state’s current performance, while change looks at a state’s improvement over time, and equity grades states on achievement gaps between students whose families have low income and those whose families have higher income.