Wednesday, July 29, 2015

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.








Overall Rank
State
“School-System Quality” Rank
“Safety” Rank
1Massachusetts21
2Colorado147
3New Jersey59
4Wisconsin414
5Kentucky104
6Vermont612
7North Dakota346
8Minnesota916
9Connecticut728
10Illinois832
11Virginia1114
12Kansas1422
13Iowa1239
14Utah1617
15New Hampshire1529
16Maryland1917
17Nebraska1726
18Wyoming1341
19Maine2013
20Montana1832
21North Carolina246
22Ohio2329
23Florida2620
24Indiana2250
25Arkansas2142
26Tennessee2829
27Texas3119
28Missouri2738
29Pennsylvania2943
30South Dakota2547
31Washington3211
32Michigan3037
33Oklahoma342
34New York3327
35Rhode Island3810
36Georgia3520
37Hawaii365
38Delaware407
39Alabama3936
40Mississippi458
41Idaho4234
42New Mexico443
43California3749
44West Virginia4622
45South Carolina4724
46Oregon4145
47Louisiana4344
48Arizona4840
49Nevada5025
50District of Columbia4951
51Alaska5135


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