2015’s States with the Best and Worst School Systems | WalletHub®

2015’s States with the Best and Worst School Systems | WalletHub®:

2015’s States with the Best and Worst School Systems

Source: WalletHub

Unless one is destined for the ranks of wildly successful college dropouts like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, education remains the traditional route to professional and financial success for many Americans. Consider themedian incomes for workers aged 25 and older in 2014. Those with a bachelor’s degree earned 65 percent more than those with only a high school diploma, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data reveal that income potential grows — and chances of unemployment shrink — as one’s educational attainment improves.

And with school resuming session, many parents will be seeking the best school districts to secure their children’s academic success. When comparing their options, however, parents should recognize that the amount of available public funding is by no means a determinant of a school system’s quality, as our findings demonstrate, though money is certainly helpful.

In addition, states that invest more dollars in education benefit not only their residents but also their economies. The Economic Policy Institute reported that income is higher in states where the workforce is well educated and thus more productive. With better earnings, workers in turn can contribute more taxes to beef up state budgets over the long run.

In light of back-to-school season, WalletHub compared the quality of education in the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia by analyzing 13 key metrics that range from student-teacher ratios to standardized-test scores to dropout rates. By shining the spotlight on top-performing school systems, we aim to encourage parents to help their children realize their maximum potential and to call the attention of lawmakers on the work that remains to be done to improve America’s schools.

1Main Findings2Ask the Experts

3Methodology

Overall Rank	State	“School-System Quality” Rank	“Safety” Rank
1	Massachusetts	2	1
2	Colorado	1	47
3	New Jersey	5	9
4	Wisconsin	4	14
5	Kentucky	10	4
6	Vermont	6	12
7	North Dakota	3	46
8	Minnesota	9	16
9	Connecticut	7	28
10	Illinois	8	32
11	Virginia	11	14
12	Kansas	14	22
13	Iowa	12	39
14	Utah	16	17
15	New Hampshire	15	29
16	Maryland	19	17
17	Nebraska	17	26
18	Wyoming	13	41
19	Maine	20	13
20	Montana	18	32
21	North Carolina	24	6
22	Ohio	23	29
23	Florida	26	20
24	Indiana	22	50
25	Arkansas	21	42
26	Tennessee	28	29
27	Texas	31	19
28	Missouri	27	38
29	Pennsylvania	29	43
30	South Dakota	25	47
31	Washington	32	11
32	Michigan	30	37
33	Oklahoma	34	2
34	New York	33	27
35	Rhode Island	38	10
36	Georgia	35	20
37	Hawaii	36	5
38	Delaware	40	7
39	Alabama	39	36
40	Mississippi	45	8
41	Idaho	42	34
42	New Mexico	44	3
43	California	37	49
44	West Virginia	46	22
45	South Carolina	47	24
46	Oregon	41	45
47	Louisiana	43	44
48	Arizona	48	40
49	Nevada	50	25
50	District of Columbia	49	51
51	Alaska	51	35

2015’s States with the Best and Worst School Systems | WalletHub®: