Florida has stirred up plenty of controversy around K12 and higher education in recent years. But it still ranks No. 1 on this influential list.

The report from Strada Education measures just how well each state is preparing its young adults for higher education and the career opportunities ahead of them—and which need improvement.

As technological transformations and new student demands challenge higher education's legacy operations, these leaders are pushing for transformative—and perhaps controversial—change.

Michael Dinich, founder and CEO of Wealth of Geeks, believes each state's enrollment reflects state policies supporting students on their postsecondary academic journey. Of the five states with the highest rate of college-going learners, four prove this is the case.