States enrolled about 1.8 million children in state-funded preschool in the 2024-25 school year, including 1.42 million 4-year-olds, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research. That works out to 37% of the country's 4-year-olds and 9% of its 3-year-olds.
The figures come from The State of Preschool 2025, the yearbook NIEER released in April. The institute is based at Rutgers University. Because the yearbook covers 2024-25, it does not yet count two of the biggest expansions, California's full rollout of transitional kindergarten and Michigan's decision to open its program to every family regardless of income, both of which took effect in 2025-26.
What universal means, and who has it
In pre-K, universal means the program is open to every child of the right age, usually 4, no matter what the family earns. It does not mean most children go, and it does not always mean a full school day.
NIEER does not publish one official list, but its state profiles describe these programs as open to all 4-year-olds:
- Georgia became the nation's first state-funded universal program in 1995, and NIEER's latest yearbook named it the first universal program to meet all 10 of its quality benchmarks.
- Oklahoma was second, in 1998, and every school district in the state offers it.
- Florida launched in 2005 after voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2002.
- West Virginia passed a law in 2002 requiring pre-K for all 4-year-olds by 2012.
- Vermont requires every district to offer at least 10 hours a week for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds not yet in kindergarten.
- Iowa makes all 4-year-olds eligible for its Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program.
- New York's program is free based only on age and residency.
- Alabama's First Class Pre-K is voluntary and open to every 4-year-old in the state.
- Colorado launched universal preschool on July 1, 2023, offering up to 15 free hours a week in the year before kindergarten.
- Washington, D.C., which NIEER says "can be considered universal" given how widely it is available and used.
Wisconsin sits in between. Districts do not have to offer 4-year-old kindergarten, but NIEER says any program a district does run must be open to all age-eligible children there. California finished phasing in transitional kindergarten in 2025-26, when districts were required to make it available to every child who turns 4 by September 1. Michigan dropped its income requirement in 2024-25 and says enrollment is now open to all families, with a goal of serving 75% of 4-year-olds by 2027.
Where the most 4-year-olds are enrolled
Twelve states and D.C. enrolled more than half of their 4-year-olds in state-funded preschool in 2024-25, NIEER found.
| State | Share of 4-year-olds enrolled, 2024-25 |
|---|---|
| Washington, D.C. | 94% |
| Vermont | 72% |
| Colorado | 70% |
| West Virginia | 66% |
| Oklahoma | 65% |
| Iowa | 65% |
| Florida | 63% |
| Wisconsin | 59% |
| New York | 56% |
| Georgia | 53% |
| New Mexico | 53% |
| Texas | 52% |
Source: National Institute for Early Education Research, The State of Preschool 2025. Includes Washington, D.C.
The table shows the gap between open and full. Georgia has had a universal program for three decades and enrolls 53% of its 4-year-olds.
New Mexico makes the list with a program NIEER does not describe as universal. Its free program gives priority to communities with Title I elementary schools, though NIEER says eligibility is not determined by family income.
Six states with no state program
At the other end, six states did not fund a preschool program that meets NIEER's definition in 2024-25: Idaho, Indiana, Montana, New Hampshire, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Indiana comes closest. Its On My Way Pre-K works much like a state program but requires parents to be working or in school, so NIEER profiles it without ranking it. NIEER says Montana and Wyoming both have early childhood programs that provide similar services.
Public schools in those six states still enrolled 39,869 pre-K students in 2024-25, according to allk12's analysis of federal data. You can see which schools near you start at pre-K by searching the allk12 schools directory.
Hours and money
Universal programs can be small in hours. Vermont's requirement is 10 hours a week, and Colorado's is up to 15, both well short of a typical school day.
States spent nearly $14.4 billion on preschool in 2024-25 across 44 states and D.C., a record. That averaged $8,124 in state money per enrolled child, or $9,988 once federal and local funds are added, NIEER said. Adjusted for inflation, the state figure rose $45 per child from the year before.
More states are aiming at 3-year-olds next. NIEER singles out Illinois, New Jersey, and New Mexico as working toward preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds, and New Jersey wrote its preschool funding formula into law in July 2025. New York's Board of Regents has set a goal of universal pre-K for both ages by 2035.
Sources
NIEER: The State of Preschool 2025, executive summary
NIEER: The State of Preschool 2025 yearbook (PDF)
NIEER state profile: Georgia
NIEER state profile: Oklahoma
NIEER state profile: District of Columbia
NIEER state profile: New Mexico
Colorado Department of Early Childhood: Universal Preschool
California Department of Education: Kindergarten and TK FAQ
Michigan MiLEAP: Enroll in free PreK for 2025-2026
Pre-K enrollment in public schools from allk12's analysis of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
