North Dakota is moving up in the ranks when measuring child well-being, but policy experts said there are cracks beneath the surface.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count Data Book released June 9 puts North Dakota sixth in the nation in measuring how kids are faring these days. North Dakota moved four spots higher than last year’s summary and the state is still ranked first economic indicators.

Xanna Burg, Kids Count director for North Dakota, said there has been positive movement in reducing childhood poverty.

“Why that’s so important is that the year before that, there was actually an increase,” Burg explained. “We’re glad to see the data trending in the right direction again.”

However, she pointed to continued disparities, with Black and Indigenous children experiencing poverty rates more than double the state’s overall childhood rate of 9%. Burg credited state lawmakers for moves like boosting eligibility for free school meals but she recommended they follow other states’ leads by adopting a child tax credit separate from any federal plan.

Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, echoed concern about racial disparities. She said the nation cannot lose sight of the gaps still seen in the indicators, particularly among Black, Latino and Native American children.

“For example, the child well-being outcomes on 15 out of 16 indicators for Native kids are lower than the national average,” Boissiere said. “If you look at Black kids, it’s eight out of 16 indicators, where Black kids’ outcomes are lower than the national average.”

For education metrics, North Dakota sits close to the bottom among states. Similar to national trends, only 29% of the state’s fourth grade students were proficient in reading. And the state is dead last in the percentage of 3- and 4-year-olds not attending school.

Burg stressed recent state investments in early childhood support need time to work.

“While North Dakota ranks 50th, I think there’s some hope in this indicator that it’s going to start moving in a different direction,” Burg added.