(C) Minnesota Reformer This story was originally published by Minnesota Reformer and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Gov. Tim Walz said Minnesota has universal pre-K. Do we? • Minnesota Reformer [1] ['Michelle Griffith', 'Madison Mcvan', 'Alyssa Chen', 'Melissa Whitler', 'More From Author', 'November', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline'] Date: 2025-11 Gov. Tim Walz boasted about Minnesota’s education system to a Texas audience on Thursday. He said Minnesota’s graduation rates are improving, free school meals set students up for success and universal pre-kindergarten education gives students a leg-up. But Minnesota doesn’t have universal pre-K. On top of that, child care in Minnesota is among the most expensive in the nation. Walz made the incorrect assertion at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, where he spoke for nearly an hour. The Democratic-Farmer-Labor governor, who is running for an unprecedented third, four-year term, was invited to the annual event to discuss his vice presidential run last year and the national political scene. Walz was asked how he would advise Texans to improve educational outcomes for pre-K through 12th grade students. He said first, defend public schools. Then he went into all the ways Minnesota’s education system is superior to other states. “We got better achievement. We have less truancy and better graduation rates. We made sure that students were secure in their persons. They were secure in their food. They were secure at home with that Child Tax Credit,” Walz said. “… And then in Minnesota, we have universal pre-K for everyone, so students come ready to do what they need to do,” he said. Minnesota lawmakers in recent years have taken steps to open up more free, voluntary pre-kindergarten seats, but it’s far from enough to cover all pre-K students. The Legislature last year agreed to fund another 5,200 seats by fiscal year 2026 in the state’s voluntary pre-k program that provides free school for 4-year-olds. Minnesota will soon have a total of 12,360 slots available statewide. The state has two preschool programs — voluntary prekindergarten and school readiness plus. Children from low-income families can also enroll in Head Start — which is mostly federally funded. Head Start programs serve about 12,500 students in the state. Parents can also apply for early learning scholarships. The National Institute for Early Education Research last year released a report that found during the 2022-2023 school year, Minnesota served 11% of 4-year-olds and 1% of 3-year-olds in state-funded preschool. The nonprofit ranked Minnesota 37th in the nation for preschool enrollment. About half of 3- and 4-year-olds attend some kind of preschool. Walz touted Minnesota’s “better achievement,” but academic outcomes for Minnesota students have stagnated since the pandemic in both reading and math. A Reformer analysis of test scores from 2019 to 2025 found that less than 1 in 8 Minnesota school districts have returned to pre-pandemic proficiency rates in either subject, mirroring national trends. Walz is right about high school graduation, however. Just over 84% percent of Minnesota’s high school seniors graduated in 2024, MPR reported in May. That’s Minnesota’s highest rate ever. Walz at the Texas Tribune Festival reminisced about his brief glimpse of national fame on the campaign trail last year as then-Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate. He also touted the DFL trifecta’s wins in 2023, including codifying abortion rights, free college for students from low-income families and, he said, “100% clean electricity by 2035.” He was referring to Minnesota’s law that mandates the state’s utilities transition to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040, which he signed into law. [END] --- [1] Url: https://minnesotareformer.com/briefs/gov-tim-walz-said-minnesota-has-universal-pre-k-do-we/ Published and (C) by Minnesota Reformer Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/MnReformer/