Adults with less education have lower life expectancy, increased risk for chronic conditions, and lower self-reported health status than their more-educated counterparts. This study assesses trends in self-reported measures of general health, mental health, activity limitations, and obesity by educational attainment from 1997-2017, using data from the National Health Interview Survey. We examine these trends by race and ethnicity and by rural and urban geography, and we assess how health disparities by educational attainment have changed over time in these groups. We also consider whether the Affordable Care Act may have contributed to a narrowing of health disparities by education.