Helping Public Schools RISE: Rankings on Integrity in State Education (RISE)

American students and parents face a wide variety of challenges in today’s society: gender ideology introduced for the youngest students, elements of anti-racism and critical race theory embedded into curricula and standards, union influence on teachers, foreign funding undermining learning, and more. Defending Education’s Rankings on Integrity in State Education (RISE) compares how state governments are handling these issues and what they are doing to protect students and families, and keep public education in the best interest of students.

We scored all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia on five major education categories (gender and sexuality, “diversity, equity, and inclusion”, parental rights, teacher policies, and foreign influence), and ranked them based on their performance. Tennessee earns the top score in 2026, while Illinois ranks the worst, only over the District of Columbia which takes the 51st spot.

RISE Rankings

1. Tennessee

2. Alabama

3. Florida

3. North Carolina

5. Iowa

6. West Virginia

7. Louisiana

7. Texas

9. South Carolina

10. Oklahoma

10. Mississippi

12. Kentucky

12. Indiana

14. Missouri

14. Wyoming

16. Arizona

16. Georgia

18. Idaho

19. North Dakota

20. Arkansas

21. South Dakota

22. Kansas

23. Wisconsin

23. New Hampshire

25. Nebraska

26. Ohio

27. Montana

28. Alaska

28. Virginia

30. Utah

31. New Mexico

31. Maine

33. Pennsylvania

33. Michigan

35. New York

36. Nevada

37. Vermont

38. Massachusetts

39. Colorado

40. Minnesota

41. Hawaii

42. New Jersey

43. Connecticut

43. Delaware

45. Maryland

45. Washington

47. Rhode Island

48. California

48. Oregon

50. Illinois

51. District of Columbia

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