Low-Cost, High-Impact Education
The state’s 301,770 labor force benefits from a strong commitment to education. Wyoming consistently ranks among the top 10 states in annual K-12 per-pupil spending (currently about $17,000 per student). Wyoming spending per K-12 pupil increased 62 percent from 2005-15.
In 2005, Wyoming legislators created the Hathaway Scholarship program for qualified students who graduate from Wyoming high schools. It funds scholarships to attend the University of Wyoming in Laramie and any of the eight community colleges strategically located throughout Wyoming.
The percentage of Wyomingites 25 and older with at least a high school diploma is 92.3. The percentage with a bachelor’s degree or more is 25.7. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011-2015).
Wired to the World
- Installed in 2014, the Unified Network provides a sprawling backbone of public internet infrastructure across the state. It means Wyoming schools rank first in the nation for internet connectivity, and Wyoming is one of only two states with 100 percent connectivity to all its schools.
- The state’s new broadband program is having great success in delivering improved internet access into even the most rural reaches of the state.
Research Centers of Excellence
- The University of Wyoming offers a world-class education with more than 200 areas of study in Laramie and via distance-learning programs, and it consistently ranks among the best-valued universities in the country.
- Specifically, the School of Energy Resources and the College of Engineering and Applied Science have partnered to enhance education and research in
• Improved oil and gas recovery
• Clean coal and gas to liquids
• High-performance computational science and engineering
• Oil and gas flow in unconventional reservoirs
- UW also maintains the UW/Casper College Center, nine outreach education centers, and Extension Service centers in all 23 counties and on the Wind River Indian Reservation.
- The Wyoming Business Council and the community colleges partner to target and develop employment training programs to meet the specific needs of businesses and industries.
- In January 2016, “Inside Higher Ed” named Wyoming best in the nation in terms of state funding for higher education. Wyoming was the only state to receive an “A” grade.