Why Louisiana Is Still One of the Least Educated States

In the past Louisiana has been regarded as one of the least educated states. New studies have suggested that over recent years Louisiana has improved the state's education system, but a larger problem still lurks over the state.

Louisiana's Poor History With Education

Since at least 2020 when WalletHub first conducted their study, they ranked Louisiana as the 5th worst education system out of all 50 states. But the issue started long before 2020, as far back as two decades ago Louisiana's lawmakers were attempting to pass laws to fix the education system.

Past attempts at reforming Louisiana's education system have done little to help fix the problem. As the United Teachers of New Orleans points out, lawmakers have not actually consulted with teachers, and some attempts have blamed teachers for the failings of the Louisiana Department of Education.

Louisiana Named 3rd Least Educated State for 2025

Out of all 50 states in WalletHub's most recent study of the most and least educated states, Louisiana was the 3rd least educated state.

Some other categories Louisiana missed the mark on include:

• 4th least residents with high-school diplomas
• 3rd least adults with any college experience
• 4th least residents with Bachelor's Degrees

Brain Drain Fuels The Struggle

In recent years Louisiana has made actual strides to improve the state's education program, but overall Louisiana's education will continue to perform poorly in studies like this as graduates up and leave the state for better opportunities, a phenomenon known as "Brain Drain."

In 2023 over half of all college graduates from Louisiana left the state to find better opportunities. As long as Louisiana struggles to keep these young graduates in the state, the Boot State will continue to be regarded as a poorly educated state.