Maine students among the most likely to drive the country’s tech future

CodeWizardsHQ, a provider of coding classes for kids and teens, has carried out a comprehensive study and identified the most and least progressive states when it comes to access and enrollment to computer science courses. Given the significance of computer science in the modern world, not having access to courses such as coding can put children at a significant disadvantage to their peers when it comes to opportunities when they are older. The study revealed that there are significant disparities based on the location and profiles of students.

The company analyzed data from Advocacy Coalition to determine a ranking from 1 to 50 (with 1 being the highest ranking) of each state’s I.T. progressiveness. The data revealed that Maine has a rural access rate of 55 percent and a minority access rate of 76 percent, with 60 percent of high schools offering computer science. This places Maine in 23rd position overall in America.

Ranking factors included: rural accessibility, race accessibility, minority student accessibility, female enrollment, economically disadvantaged student enrollment, and the number of high schools offering computer sciences to students. Overall, the United States has a national rural access rate of 49 percent for computer science studies and a minority student access rate of 72 percent.

Across the country, a total of 58 percent of high schools offer computer science as a subject, with a female enrollment rate of 31 percent. Topping the rankings as #1 most progressive state for computer science study opportunities is South Carolina.