An effective school system relies on several factors, like performance, funding, safety, class size and instructor credentials. Where would you rank your school system based on these metrics?
Perhaps your district is located in one of the best-performing states in the country based on WalletHub’s latest national ranking. For the second year in a row, Massachusetts and Connecticut hold the first and second spots.
America’s best school systems
Massachusetts boasts some of the best test scores in the country, the report attests. When it comes to eighth-grade math and fourth-grade reading scores, the state tops the list.
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At the high school level, the state has the highest share of students in the country who earned a score of 3 or better on an AP exam. And in terms of school safety, it has the fifth-lowest share of students who report being threatened or injured with a weapon on school grounds; the third-lowest share of those who have engaged in a physical fight at school; and the fourth-lowest share of those who report illegal drugs being available to them on campus.
“Schools need to focus not just on test scores but also on making sure that students feel safe, comfortable and cared for,” said WalletHub Analyst Cassandra Happe in a public statement.
Top 10 states with the best school systems
Now, let’s take a look at WalletHub’s ranking of the 10 best states in the country according to their school systems:
| Overall rank | State | Quality rank | Safety rank |
| 1 | Massachusetts | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | Connecticut | 2 | 6 |
| 3 | Maryland | 5 | 4 |
| 4 | New Jersey | 3 | 23 |
| 5 | Wisconsin | 4 | 18 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | 6 | 15 |
| 7 | Nebraska | 10 | 7 |
| 8 | New York | 9 | 16 |
| 9 | Virginia | 15 | 5 |
| 10 | North Dakota | 7 | 24 |
To see where your state ranks, click here or view the interactive map below:
