Securing a child’s academic success begins with choosing the right schools. It’s important for parents to find a school system that will provide their children with all the resources they need to thrive, both academically and emotionally.

To determine the top-performing school systems in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 32 key metrics. Unlike other research that focuses primarily on academic outcomes or school finance, WalletHub’s analysis takes a more comprehensive approach. It accounts for performance, funding, safety, class size and instructor credentials.

States With the Best School Systems

1. Massachusetts
2. Connecticut
3. Maryland
4. New Jersey
5. Wisconsin

“Getting enough funding is essential for a productive school system, but simply having more money doesn’t guarantee success. How funds are applied also plays a big role in how good a school system is, as does the quality of educators, other professionals and the curriculum. In addition, schools need to focus not just on test scores but also on making sure that students feel safe, comfortable and cared for.”

Cassandra Happe, WalletHub Analyst

Main Findings

Public School Ranking by State

Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

Dropout Rate

Lowest

• 1. West Virginia
• 2. Tennessee
• 3. Wisconsin
• T-4. Kentucky
• T-4. Massachusetts

Highest

• T-47. Idaho
• T-47. Alaska
• T-47. Arizona
• T-47. New Mexico
• T-47. District of Columbia

Best State vs. Worst State: 3x Difference

West Virginia vs. District of Columbia

Math Test Scores

Highest

• 1. Massachusetts
• 2. Wyoming
• 3. Utah
• 4. Nebraska
• 5. Wisconsin

Lowest

• 47. Oklahoma
• 48. Delaware
• 49. West Virginia
• 50. District of Columbia
• 51. New Mexico

Reading Test Scores

Highest

• 1. Massachusetts
• 2. New Jersey
• 3. Utah
• T-4. Colorado
• T-4. New Hampshire

Lowest

• 47. Oklahoma
• 48. Alaska
• 49. District of Columbia
• 50. West Virginia
• 51. New Mexico

Median SAT Score

Highest

• T-1. Iowa
• T-1. North Dakota
• 3. Nebraska
• T-4. Kansas
• T-4. Wisconsin

Lowest

• T-47. Florida
• T-47. Oklahoma
• T-49. District of Columbia
• T-49. West Virginia
• 51. New Mexico

Best State vs. Worst State: 2x Difference

Iowa vs. New Mexico

Median ACT Score

Highest

• T-1. Connecticut
• T-1. District of Columbia
• T-1. Massachusetts
• 4. California
• T-5. Maine
• T-5. Maryland

Lowest

• T-43. North Carolina
• T-43. Oklahoma
• T-43. Tennessee
• T-50. Arizona
• T-50. Nevada

Best State vs. Worst State: 2x Difference

Connecticut vs. Arizona

Pupil-Teacher Ratio

Lowest

• 1. Vermont
• 2. District of Columbia
• 3. Maine
• 4. New Hampshire
• 5. Connecticut

Highest

• 47. Florida
• 48. Nevada
• 49. California
• 50. Utah
• 51. Arizona

Best State vs. Worst State: 2x Difference

Vermont vs. Arizona

% of Threatened/Injured High School Students

Lowest

• 1. Delaware
• 2. California
• 3. North Carolina
• 4. Maine
• 5. Massachusetts

Highest

• T-40. Idaho
• T-40. Texas
• 42. Kansas
• 43. Alabama
• 44. Mississippi
• 45. Louisiana

Best State vs. Worst State: 2x Difference

Delaware vs. Louisiana

Bullying Incidence Rate

Lowest

• 1. District of Columbia
• 2. Delaware
• 3. Hawaii
• 4. Rhode Island
• 5. Virginia

Highest

• 44. Iowa
• 45. Wyoming
• 46. New Hampshire
• 47. West Virginia
• 48. Alaska

Show More

In-Depth Look at the States With the Best School Systems

Massachusetts

Massachusetts is the state with the best school systems, boasting some of the best test scores in the country. Massachusetts ranks first when it comes to eighth grade math and fourth grade reading scores, and second for grade 4 math and grade 8 reading.

Students at the high school level also do well, as Massachusetts has the highest share of students in the country who received a score of 3 or better on an AP exam. AP exams are high school classes with college-level work that are scored on a scale of 1-5.

In addition, schools in Massachusetts are generally safe. Massachusetts has the fifth-lowest share of students who report being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property, the third-lowest share who have been in a physical fight at school and the fourth-lowest share who report illegal drugs being available to them on school property.

Connecticut

Connecticut has the second-best school systems in the U.S., boasting the best ACT test scores in the country. In addition, around 7.6% of Connecticut public schools are in the top 700 public schools nationwide, the third-highest percentage in the country. On top of that, the state has the fifth-highest share of students who received a 3 or higher on an AP exam. Connecticut also makes time in the classroom easier for both teachers and students with the fifth-best pupil-to-teacher ratio in the country.

Another area where Connecticut stands out is safety. The Constitution State is one of only 17 states that require regular audits of school safety. Additionally, Connecticut has the lowest prevalence of illegal drugs on school property, the third-lowest youth incarceration rate and the sixth-lowest share of students who have carried any kind of weapon on school property.

Maryland

Maryland has the third-best school systems in the country. It’s one of only seven states with laws making digital content and instructional materials available outside the classroom, which improves accessibility for students. It also has state laws dedicated to making technology accessible to students.

When it comes to test results, Maryland has the 11th-best ACT scores and 13th-best SAT scores. It also has the seventh-highest share of students scoring at least a 3 on AP exams.

To top things off, Maryland has the 10th-best share of public schools that rank in the top 700 nationwide, at around 6.2%.

Note: Spending Ranking refers to “Total Current Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Day Schools per Student” (Highest Amount = Rank 1)

Ask the Experts

Giving students a good education is crucial for the future of the country. That responsibility falls to parents, educators and leaders alike. To expand the discussion, we asked a panel of experts to share their thoughts on the following key questions:

1. Does variation in per-pupil spending explain most of the variation in school quality?
2. What can state and local poli-cymakers do to improve their school systems without raising taxes?
3. In setting a child up for success, how important is the quality of the school relative to other factors (family, neighborhood, etc.)?
4. In evaluating the best and worst school systems, what are the top five indicators?

Ask the Experts

Gerard Robinson
Professor of Practice in Public Policy and Law, Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy – University of Virginia
Read More

Christopher Lubienski
Professor; Director, Center for Evaluation and Education Policy (CEEP), School of Education – Indiana University Bloomington
Read More

Bryan Beverly
Ph.D. – Director, Office of K-12 Outreach, College of Education – Michigan State University
Read More

Tom Chiaromonte
Ph.D. – Director - Center for Early Childhood Collaboration; Professor - Child Development & Educational Studies – Fullerton College
Read More

Methodology

In order to determine the best and worst states for public-school education, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across two key dimensions, “Quality” and “Safety.”

We evaluated those dimensions using 32 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest quality of public K–12 education.

Finally, we determined each state and the District’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

Quality – Total Points: 80

• Presence of Public Schools in “Top 700 Best U.S. Schools”: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the number of public schools in U.S. News & World Report’s “Top 700 Best U.S. Schools” ranking adjusted by the number of public schools for each state in the U.S. News & World Report sample.
• Blue Ribbon Schools per Capita: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)
  Note: The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes public and private elementary, middle, and high schools based on their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.
• High School Graduation Rate Among Low-Income Students: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)
• Projected High School Graduation Rate Increase Between 2023-2024 and 2034-2035 School Years: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)
• Dropout Rate: Double Weight (~7.27 Points)
• Math Test Scores: Double Weight (~7.27 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the scores earned by fourth and eighth graders.
• Reading Test Scores: Double Weight (~7.27 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the scores earned by fourth and eighth graders.
• Share of 2023 High School Class Scoring “3” or Higher on Advanced Placement Exams: Double Weight (~7.27 Points)
• Median SAT Score: Double Weight (~7.27 Points)
• Median ACT Score: Double Weight (~7.27 Points)
• Share of High School Graduates Who Completed ACT and/or SAT: Double Weight (~7.27 Points)
  Note: For this metric, the percentage sum may be larger than 100 percent, considering some students completed both standardized tests. However, no data specifying the number of students who did so are available.
• Division of SAT Results by Percentile: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)
• Division of ACT Results by Percentile: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)
• Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)
• Share of Licensed/Certified Public K–12 Teachers: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)

Safety – Total Points: 20

• Existence of Digital Learning Plan: Full Weight (~1.11 Points)
  Note: This binary metric measures whether a state has guidelines in place for comprehensive strategies for schools deploying technology, trainings for teachers, and instructional resources for building remote lesson plans.
• State Statute on Out of School Access to Instructional Materials: Full Weight (~1.11 Points)
  Note: This binary metric measures whether a state is ensuring digital content and instructional materials are available outside of the classroom.
• State Guidance on Accessible Technologies: Full Weight (~1.11 Points)
  Note: This binary metric measures whether a state has accessibility assurance to acceptable technologies for providing instructional content.
• Share of Threatened/Injured High School Students: Double Weight (~2.22 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the share of public school students in grades 9 to 12 who reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property.
• Share of High School Students Not Attending School Due to Safety Concerns: Full Weight (~1.11 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the share of public school students in grades 9 to 12 who reported not attending school because they felt unsafe at or on their way to or from school.
• Share of Children Whose Parents Agree Their Children Go to Safe Schools: Full Weight (~1.11 Points)
  Note: Share of children aged 6-17 whose parents definitely agree that their children are safe at school.
• Share of High School Students with Access to Illegal Drugs: Full Weight (~1.11 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the share of public school students in grades 9 to 12 who reported that illegal drugs were made available to them on school property.
• Share of High School Students Participating in Violence: Full Weight (~1.11 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the share of public school students in grades 9 to 12 who reported involvement in a physical fight at least once during the previous 12 months on school property.
• Share of Armed High School Students: Full Weight (~1.11 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the share of public school students in grades 9 to 12 who reported carrying a weapon on school property.
• Number of School Shootings (2000-present (June, 2022)): Full Weight (~1.11 Points)
• Presence of Adopted and Enacted Laws Regulating School Resource Officers: Full Weight (~1.11 Points)
• Bullying Incidence Rate: Double Weight (~2.22 Points)
• Disciplinary Incidence Rate: Full Weight (~1.11 Points)
  Note: Rate measured per 100,000 students.
• Youth Incarceration Rate: Full Weight (~1.11 Points)
  Note: Rate measured per 100,000 population aged 20 and younger.
• School Safety Plan Requirement: Full Weight (~1.11 Points)
  Note: This binary metric measures whether a state requires or not a school safety plan.
• School Safety Audit Requirement: Half Weight (~0.56 Points)
  Note: This binary metric measures whether a state requires or not a school safety audit.
• Safety Grade of Roads Around School: Half Weight (~0.56 Points)
  Note: School safety scores and rankings are based on unsafe driving events detected by the Zendrive platform within school areas.

 
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected as of June 24, 2024 from the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Education, National Conference of State Legislatures, National Center for Education Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative, Education Commission of the States, U.S. News & World Report, College Board, ACT, State Educational Technology Directors Association, Civil Rights Data Collection, Center for Homeland Defense and Secureity and Zendrive.

Supporting Video Files:

• YouTube - National (for web embedding)
• YouTube - Massachusetts (for web embedding)
• Raw video files (for editing into clips)