Our state needs to get serious about education.

2 separate studies ranked South Carolina at the bottom for our schools.

Financial news website 247wallst.com found SC has the 10th-worst performing schools in America.

They looked at school funding, academic achievement and enrollment.

The study found SC has the 19th lowest graduation rate at 83.6% and 13th lowest 3- and 4-year-old preschool enrollment at 39.1%.

By 8th grade, only 28.9% of students were found proficient in math, and 29.3% proficient in reading.

Personal finance website WalletHub ranked SC 7th-least educated and next to last for quality of education.

Only Mississippi was worse for education quality.

The study also found us 43rd for racial gap and 48th for gender gap in educational attainment.

“States need to broaden access to high-quality education to strengthen their economies, especially as we look to the demographic projections of the future,” said Dr. Janelle M. Johnson of Metropolitan State University of Denver.

“Top tier students already have excellent academic opportunities, but students from communities underrepresented in academic and professional realms are tracked into classes that are far less engaging.”

The 2 studies’ findings were published as legislators consider Gov. Henry McMaster’s state budget plan which includes $211 million in teacher raises and increasing 4K education.

“Investment in education is too often thought of as a spending decision,” said Dr. Loren John Rullman of Grand Valley State University.

“If we invest in education, incomes grow, tax revenues increase, innovation flourishes and economic productivity rises.”