A state education agency or state department of education is the state-level government organization within each U.S. state or territory responsible for education, including providing information, resources, and technical assistance on educational matters to schools and residents.
In all states but Hawaii, primary and secondary education (collectively known as K–12) are provided by school districts, while the state education agency handles only matters of statewide concern such as curriculum standards. In the state of Hawaii and all inhabited federal territories, the state education agency or the equivalent territorial government agencies are responsible for directly operating primary and secondary schools.
Different U.S. states use different job titles for the person in charge of education in the state government. These titles include Secretary of Education, State Superintendent of Education, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Commissioner of Education, and Director of Education.[1] Thirteen states have an education executive directly elected by voters, but in most states they are appointed, by the governor, state legislature, or a state board.
The following are state education agencies as identified by the Council of Chief State School Officers.
| State | State agency | Chief state school officer | Elected | Service began | Name | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama Department of Education | Alabama Superintendent of Education | No | 2018 | Eric Mackey | |
| Alaska | Alaska Department of Education & Early Development | Alaska Commissioner of Education & Early Development | No | 2016 | Michael Johnson | |
| Arizona | Arizona Department of Education | Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction | Yes | 2023 | Tom Horne | |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Department of Education | Arkansas Commissioner of Education | No | 2015 | Johnny Key | |
| California | California Department of Education | California Superintendent of Public Instruction | Yes | 2019 | Tony Thurmond | |
| Colorado | Colorado Department of Education | Colorado Commissioner of Education | No | 2016 | Katy Anthes | |
| Connecticut | Connecticut Department of Education | Connecticut Commissioner of Education | No | 2021 | Charlene Russell-Tucker | |
| Delaware | Delaware Department of Education | Delaware Secretary of Education | No | 2022 | Mark Holodick | |
| Florida | Florida Department of Education | Florida Commissioner of Education | No | 2022 | Manny Díaz Jr. | |
| Georgia | Georgia Department of Education | State Superintendent of Schools | Yes | 2015 | Richard Woods | |
| Hawaii | Hawaii Department of Education | Hawaii Superintendent of Education | No | 2021 | Keith Hayashi | |
| Idaho | Idaho State Department of Education | Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction | Yes | 2023 | Debbie Critchfield | |
| Illinois | Illinois State Board of Education | Illinois Superintendent of Education | No | 2023 | Tony Sanders | |
| Indiana | Indiana Department of Education | Indiana Secretary of Education | No | 2021 | Katie Jenner | |
| Iowa | Iowa Department of Education | Iowa Director of Education | No | 2024 | McKenzie Snow | |
| Kansas | Kansas State Department of Education | Kansas Commissioner of Education | No | 2015 | Randy Watson | |
| Kentucky | Kentucky Department of Education | Kentucky Commissioner of Education | No | 2020 | Jason Glass | |
| Louisiana | Louisiana Department of Education | Louisiana Superintendent of Education | No | 2020 | Cade Brumley | |
| Maine | Maine Department of Education | Maine Commissioner of Education | No | 2019 | Pender Makin | |
| Maryland | Maryland State Department of Education | Maryland State Superintendent of Schools | No | 2023 | Carey Wright | |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education | Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education | No | 2018 | Jeffrey Riley | |
| Michigan | Michigan Department of Education | Michigan Superintendent of Public Instruction | No | 2019 | Michael Rice | |
| Minnesota | Minnesota Department of Education | Minnesota Commissioner of Education | No | 2021 | Heather Mueller | |
| Mississippi | Mississippi Department of Education | Mississippi Superintendent of Education | No | 2024 | Lance Evans | |
| Missouri | Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education | Missouri Commissioner of Education | No | 2019 | Margie Vandeven | |
| Montana | Montana Office of Public Instruction | Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction | Yes | 2017 | Elsie Arntzen | |
| Nebraska | Nebraska Department of Education | Nebraska Commissioner of Education | No | 2014 | Matthew Blomstedt | |
| Nevada | Nevada Department of Education | Nevada Superintendent of Public Instruction | No | 2015 | Jhone Ebert | |
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire Department of Education | New Hampshire Commissioner of Education | No | 2017 | Frank Edelblut | |
| New Jersey | New Jersey Department of Education | New Jersey Commissioner of Education | No | 2024 | Kevin Dehmer | |
| New Mexico | New Mexico Public Education Department | New Mexico Secretary of Education | No | 2022 | Kurt Steinhaus | |
| New York | New York State Education Department | No | 2021 | Betty Rosa | ||
| North Carolina | North Carolina Department of Public Instruction | North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction | Yes | 2021 | Catherine Truitt | |
| North Dakota | North Dakota Department of Public Instruction | North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction | Yes | 2013 | Kirsten Baesler | |
| Ohio | Ohio Department of Education | Ohio Superintendent of Public Instruction | No | 2023 | Paul Craft | |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma State Department of Education | Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction | Yes | 2023 | Ryan Walters | |
| Oregon | Oregon Department of Education | Oregon Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction | No | 2023 | Charlene Williams | |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Department of Education | Pennsylvania Secretary of Education | No | 2023 | Khalid Mumin | |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island Department of Education | Rhode Island Commissioner of Education | No | 2019 | Angélica Infante-Green | |
| South Carolina | South Carolina Department of Education | South Carolina Superintendent of Education | Yes | 2015 | Molly Spearman | |
| South Dakota | South Dakota Department of Education | South Dakota Secretary of Education | No | 2020 | Tiffany Sanderson | |
| Tennessee | Tennessee Department of Education | Tennessee Commissioner of Education | No | 2023 | Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds | |
| Texas | Texas Education Agency | Texas Commissioner of Education | No | 2015 | Mike Morath | |
| Utah | Utah State Office of Education | Utah Superintendent of Public Instruction | No | 2016 | Sydnee Dickson | |
| Vermont | Vermont Agency of Education | Vermont Secretary of Education | No | 2024 | Zoie Saunders | |
| Virginia | Virginia Department of Education | Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction | No | 2023 | Lisa Coons | |
| Washington | Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction | Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction | Yes | 2017 | Chris Reykdal | |
| West Virginia | West Virginia Department of Education | West Virginia State Superintendent of Schools | No | 2023 | Michele Blatt | |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction | Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction | Yes | 2021 | Jill Underly | |
| Wyoming | Wyoming Department of Education | Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction | Yes | 2022 | Brian Schroeder | |
| American Samoa | American Samoa Department of Education | American Samoa Director of Education | No | 2021 | Samasoni Asaeli | |
| District of Columbia | District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education | District of Columbia Superintendent of Education | No | 2021 | Christina Grant | |
| Guam | Guam Department of Education | Guam Superintendent of Education | No | 2016 | Jon Fernandez | |
| Northern Mariana Islands | Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Public School System | CNMI Commissioner of Education | No | 2019 | Alfred Ada | |
| Puerto Rico | Puerto Rico Department of Education | Puerto Rico Secretary of Education | No | 2019 | Eligio Hernández Pérez | |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Education | U.S. Virgin Islands Commissioner of Education | No | 2019 | Racquel Berry-Benjamin |