What we scan
ScanGov scans the homepage of every public college and university site on our list, 2,991 sites. Each scan runs the checks on standards.scangov.org for accessibility, botability, security, usability, and readability. A site counts as fully scanned when its homepage responded and returned page content; sites that did not are listed with their scan status and left out of every figure here. The education rankings list every site; Pulse for all sites compares the groups.
2,687 of 2,991
Education sites fully scanned. We couldn't fully scan 304
B 85
Average overall score of the fully scanned education sites
25%
Fully scanned education sites earning an A overall (659 sites)
11/8/2026
Newest scan. Sites were scanned between 9/30/2026 and this date
How sites are doing
Of 2,687 fully scanned sites, 25% (659) earn an A for overall score, 73% (1,965) a B or C, and 2% (63) a D or F. The average score is 85. The curve shows where scores cluster; the bar shows the share in each grade band.
How education overall scores are distributed
Smoothed distribution of the 2,687 fully scanned education sites, score 0 to 100. Height shows how many sites score near each value.
Distribution of 2687 scores. The data table lists counts by score range.
- Average
View the data table
| Score range | Sites |
|---|---|
| 0 to 9 | 0 |
| 10 to 19 | 0 |
| 20 to 29 | 0 |
| 30 to 39 | 0 |
| 40 to 49 | 0 |
| 50 to 59 | 2 |
| 60 to 69 | 61 |
| 70 to 79 | 494 |
| 80 to 89 | 1,471 |
| 90 to 100 | 659 |
Education sites by overall grade
Share of the 2,687 fully scanned education sites in each grade band
- A (90 to 100)
- B to C (70 to 89)
- D to F (below 70)
View the data table
| Group | A (90 to 100) | B to C (70 to 89) | D to F (below 70) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All education sites | 25% (659) | 73% (1,965) | 2% (63) |
Where sites fail
For each indicator, the five checks that fully scanned education sites fail most often. A site can fail more than one check. In each chart, a check links to the list of education sites failing it where we have one, or to its standard; the notes under the chart link every standard.
Accessibility
Meet WCAG standards so every type of user can use your website. The most common accessibility failure is Heading elements appear in a sequentially-descending order: 32% (868 of 2,687 sites) fail it.
What each accessibility check means
- Heading elements appear in a sequentially-descending order. Page headings follow a logical order without skipping levels. Keyboard users cannot efficiently navigate your site.
- Background and foreground colors have a sufficient contrast ratio. Text and background colors meet minimum contrast ratios. Users with low vision cannot read your text.
- Links have a discernible name. Links have unique, descriptive text so users know where they go. Screen reader users cannot identify or interact with elements.
- Touch targets have sufficient size and spacing. Buttons and interactive elements are large enough to tap easily on touch screens. Users with motor disabilities struggle to tap small buttons.
- Document has a main landmark. The page has exactly one main content area so screen readers can navigate to it. Screen reader users cannot skip directly to main content.
Botability
Help AI and search engines discover, crawl, and index your website. The most common botability failure is Link text: 45% (1,196 of 2,687 sites) fail it.
What each botability check means
- Link text. Links use descriptive text that tells users and search engines where they go. Users cannot tell where links go.
- Sitemap in robots.txt. The robots.txt file links to the sitemap. Search engines take longer to find your pages.
- Sitemap status. The sitemap file loads and returns a successful response. Search engines cannot find all your pages.
- Sitemap XML. The sitemap file uses the required XML format. Search engines cannot read your sitemap.
- Robots valid. The site's robots.txt file is written correctly so search engines can follow it. Search engines ignore crawling rules they cannot read.
Security
Secure your site and protect users with proper security practices. The most common security failure is X-Content-Type-Options: 60% (1,615 of 2,687 sites) fail it.
What each security check means
- X-Content-Type-Options. The site tells browsers not to guess the type of files it serves. Browsers might run dangerous files by mistake.
- Errors in the console. The page loads without JavaScript or network errors. Site may have hidden bugs that break features.
- Security.txt. The site has a security.txt file so researchers know how to report issues. Security researchers cannot report problems to you.
- Sponsored top-level domain (sTLD). The site uses a government-issued domain (.gov, .edu, or .mil). People cannot tell if your site is real government.
- Paste preventing inputs. The page lets users paste content into form fields. Users cannot use password managers safely.
Usability
Optimize content structure so users quickly find what they need. The most common usability failure is Open Graph image alt: 90% (2,429 of 2,687 sites) fail it.
What each usability check means
- Open Graph image alt. The social media preview image has alt text for screen readers. Screen readers cannot describe shared images.
- Open Graph image. The page has a preview image for social media cards. Shared links have no image on social media.
- Open Graph site name. The site has a name for social media and browser display. Site name missing in social media shares.
- Open Graph description. The page has a description for social media previews. Shared links have no description on social media.
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP). The page's main content loads within 2.5 seconds. Users wait too long and leave your page.
Readability
Write content at a reading level most users can understand. The most common readability failure is Reading level: 41% (1,110 of 2,687 sites) fail it.
What each readability check means
- Reading level. Page text reads at or below a 7th grade level so most users can understand it. Users struggle to understand your content.
Where to go next
- Education rankings: 2,687 fully scanned of 2,991 sites.
- Pulse for all sites: every group compared.
- Education websites with sitemap problems: 1,031 of 2,650 fully scanned education sites, with every site listed.
- Education websites with robots.txt problems: 95 of 2,629 fully scanned education sites, with every site listed.
- Education websites that need JavaScript to show their content: 68 of 2,687 fully scanned education sites, with every site listed.
- Education websites that are hard to read: 1,110 of 2,535 fully scanned education sites, with every site listed.
- Education websites missing Open Graph tags: 1,859 of 2,687 fully scanned education sites, with every site listed.
- Websites by issue: every check and every group in one table.
- Changelog: what changed in the latest scans.
- Scan status: why some sites could not be fully scanned.
About this data
ScanGov scans the homepage of every public college and university site on our list. Scores come from the checks in the ScanGov standards. Sites were scanned between 9/30/2026 and 11/8/2026. Each site's report shows its own scan date. A site counts as fully scanned when its homepage loaded and sent us its page content. Averages, grade shares, failure rates, and ranks use fully scanned sites only. We could not fully scan 304 sites. They did not respond, blocked the scanner, or sent no page content. They appear in the table without grades, with their scan status, and are left out of every figure. Grades follow the ScanGov grade scale. Rank follows the ScanGov ranking method. The full dataset, with every county's raw results, is in the ScanGov data repository.