In 1940, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill wrote to his Australian counterpart, Robert Menzies, that “success always demands a greater effort.” America is—mercifully—not engaged in a global conflict, but the country remains absorbed in a longstanding struggle to prepare the next generation to be informed, engaged citizens. K–12 students in the U.S. have chronically low reading and math scores and whistleblowers continue to uncover ideological attempts among educators and interest groups, such as unions, to discredit America’s founding ideals of freedom and equality under the law. The longstanding achievement gap between students at the top and bottom of the income distribution remains a significant indicator of the U.S. Department of Education’s failure to meet the needs of a diverse student body nationwide.

Fortunately, state officials across the country are creating, sharpening, and expanding innovative options for elementary and secondary school students and their families. Two states that made some of the most progress this year, climbing the ranks of our Education Freedom Report Card, are West Virginia and Wyoming, with lawmakers in the latter state adopting a new education savings account (ESA) option for students worth up to $6,000 per child. Similar to the accounts in Arizona, Florida, Mississippi, and 15 other states, parents of accountholders can use their child’s portion of the education funding formula to choose a private school for their child or customize their child’s education with a variety of learning products and services.

But it was Louisiana that made the largest jump this year overall. Notably, Louisiana officials had created a K–12 private school scholarship program more than a decade ago, but lawmakers burdened these scholarships with red tape and regulations. Research found that private school participation rates were low due to the rules—private school leaders were hesitant to enroll scholarship students because of the requirements that would be imposed on schools—which meant that families had fewer options than similar voucher options in other states. Louisiana’s new ESAs are an important companion to the existing voucher offerings. Instead of remaining satisfied with a struggling scholarship program, lawmakers made a greater policy effort for students and created another, innovative education solution.

Conversely, Washington, Hawaii, Connecticut, and Oregon remain at the bottom of our ranking due in large part to these areas’ dearth of alternatives to assigned district schools. This shortage of options is significant because of the recurring examples of radical content on race and gender found in these states that conflict with Americans’ opinions on these topics. For example, in Oregon, state officials prioritize “power” and “identity” in teaching mathematics, injecting progressive politics into this crucial skill.

Students deserve better. We applaud those state policymakers who refused to settle for a limited set of learning options for K–12 children. We hope that our annual report card serves as a reminder of the great opportunities that can be available to all children, no matter their Zip code or family income, when policymakers demand a greater effort for the sake of students.