State education agency


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.
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. 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.

State education agencies (SEAs)

The following are state education agencies as identified by the Council of Chief State School Officers.
StateState agencyChief state school officerElectedService beganName
AlabamaAlabama Department of EducationAlabama Superintendent of EducationNo2016Michael Sentance
AlaskaAlaska Department of Education & Early DevelopmentAlaska Commissioner of Education & Early DevelopmentNo2016Michael Johnson
ArizonaArizona Department of EducationArizona Superintendent of Public InstructionYes2019Kathy Hoffman
ArkansasArkansas Department of EducationArkansas Commissioner of EducationNo2015Johnny Key
CaliforniaCalifornia Department of EducationCalifornia Superintendent of Public InstructionYes2019Tony Thurmond
ColoradoColorado Department of EducationColorado Commissioner of EducationNo2016Katy Anthes
ConnecticutConnecticut Department of EducationConnecticut Commissioner of EducationNo2015Dianna Wentzell
DelawareDelaware Department of EducationDelaware Secretary of EducationNo2017Susan Bunting
FloridaFlorida Department of EducationFlorida Commissioner of EducationNo2013Pam Stewart
GeorgiaGeorgia Department of EducationState Superintendent of SchoolsYes2015Richard Woods
HawaiiHawaii Department of EducationHawaii Superintendent of EducationNo2010Kathryn Matayoshi
IdahoIdaho State Department of EducationIdaho Superintendent of Public InstructionYes2015Sherri Ybarra
IllinoisIllinois State Board of EducationIllinois Superintendent of EducationNo2019Dr. Carmen I. Ayala
IndianaIndiana Department of EducationIndiana Superintendent of Public InstructionYes2017Jennifer McCormick
IowaIowa Department of EducationIowa Director of EducationNo2013Ryan Wise
KansasKansas State Department of EducationKansas Interim Commissioner of EducationNo2015Randy Watson
KentuckyKentucky Department of EducationKentucky Commissioner of EducationNo2015Stephen Pruitt
LouisianaLouisiana Department of EducationLouisiana Superintendent of EducationNo2012John White
MaineMaine Department of EducationMaine Commissioner of EducationNo2016Robert Hasson
MarylandMaryland State Department of EducationMaryland State Superintendent of SchoolsNo2016Karen B. Salmon
MassachusettsMassachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary EducationMassachusetts Secretary of EducationNo2015Jim Peyser
MichiganMichigan Department of EducationMichigan Superintendent of Public InstructionNo2015Brian J. Whiston
MinnesotaMinnesota Department of EducationMinnesota Commissioner of EducationNo2010Brenda Cassellius
MississippiMississippi Department of EducationMississippi Superintendent of EducationNo2013Carey M. Wright
MissouriMissouri Department of Elementary and Secondary EducationMissouri Commissioner of EducationNo2019Margie Vandeven
MontanaMontana Office of Public InstructionMontana Superintendent of Public InstructionYes2017Elsie Arntzen
NebraskaNebraska Department of EducationNebraska Commissioner of EducationNo2014Matthew Blomstedt
NevadaNevada Department of EducationNevada Superintendent of Public InstructionNo2015Jhone Ebert
New HampshireNew Hampshire Department of EducationNew Hampshire Commissioner of EducationNo2017Frank Edelblut
New JerseyNew Jersey Department of EducationNew Jersey Commissioner of EducationNo2018Lamont Repollet
New MexicoNew Mexico Public Education DepartmentNew Mexico Secretary of EducationNo2010Hanna Skandera
New YorkNew York State Education DepartmentNew York State Education CommissionerNo2015MaryEllen Elia
North CarolinaNorth Carolina Department of Public InstructionNorth Carolina Superintendent of Public InstructionYes2017Mark Johnson
North DakotaNorth Dakota Department of Public InstructionNorth Dakota Superintendent of Public InstructionYes2013Kirsten Baesler
OhioOhio State Board of EducationOhio Superintendent of Public InstructionNo2016Paolo DeMaria
OklahomaOklahoma State Department of EducationOklahoma Superintendent of Public InstructionYes2015Joy Hofmeister
OregonOregon Department of EducationOregon Superintendent of Public InstructionNo2015Salam Noor
PennsylvaniaPennsylvania Department of EducationPennsylvania Secretary of EducationNo2015Pedro Rivera
Rhode IslandRhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary EducationRhode Island Commissioner of EducationNo2015Ken Wagner
South CarolinaSouth Carolina Department of EducationSouth Carolina Superintendent of EducationYes2015Molly Spearman
South DakotaSouth Dakota Department of EducationSouth Dakota Secretary of EducationNo2011Melody Schopp
TennesseeTennessee Department of EducationTennessee Commissioner of EducationNo2015Candice McQueen
TexasTexas Education AgencyTexas Commissioner of EducationNo2015Mike Morath
UtahUtah State Office of EducationUtah Superintendent of Public InstructionNo2016Sydnee Dickson
VermontVermont Agency of EducationVermont Secretary of EducationNo2014Daniel French
VirginiaVirginia Department of EducationVirginia Superintendent of Public InstructionNo2014Steven R. Staples
WashingtonWashington State Office of Superintendent of Public InstructionWashington Superintendent of Public InstructionYes2017Chris Reykdal
West VirginiaWest Virginia Department of EducationWest Virginia State Superintendent of SchoolsNo2017Steven L. Paine
WisconsinWisconsin Department of Public InstructionWisconsin Superintendent of Public InstructionYes2019Carolyn Stanford Taylor
WyomingWyoming Department of EducationWyoming Superintendent of Public InstructionYes2015Jillian Balow
American SamoaAmerican Samoa Department of EducationAmerican Samoa Director of EducationNo2017Ruth Matagi-Tofiga
District of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia State Board of EducationDistrict of Columbia Superintendent of EducationNo2015Hanseul Kang
GuamGuam Department of EducationGuam Superintendent of EducationNo2016Jon Fernandez
Northern Mariana IslandsCommonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Public School SystemCNMI Commissioner of EducationNo2018Glenn Muna
Puerto RicoPuerto Rico Department of EducationPuerto Rico Secretary of EducationNo2019Eligio Hernández Pérez
U.S. Virgin IslandsU.S. Virgin Islands Department of EducationU.S. Virgin Islands Commissioner of EducationNo2016Sharon McCollum