New Jersey has the fourth-best school systems in the country, according to a study released this week by personal finance company WalletHub.
The Garden State trailed only Massachusetts, Connecticut and Maryland in the ranking, which compared all 50 states and Washington, D.C., across nearly three dozen key metrics. WalletHub’s research accounted for a variety of factors, such as class size and instructor credentials, rather than focusing on academic performance and school finance.
“Getting enough funding is essential for a productive school system, but simply having more money doesn’t guarantee success,” said company analyst Cassandra Happe. “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.”
NJ education ranking criteria
The 32 metrics were divided into two main groups, quality and safety, and weighted to calculate the overall score. Among the categories included in the final ranking were graduation and dropout rates, test scores, student-to-teacher ratio, and incidents of bullying, violence and drug use.
New Jersey ranked third in the quality category but fell all the way to 23rd in safety. Its spot on the overall list was bolstered by its reading test scores, which ranked second in the U.S. behind Massachusetts.
The study also found that New Jersey schools spend the fourth-most money per student, behind New York, Washington, D.C. and Vermont. However, those areas rank eighth, 28th and 17th, respectively, on the overall list, meaning students in the Garden State get comparably more value out of their education.
Rounding out WalletHub’s top 10 list after New Jersey, in order, are Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Nebraska, New York and Virginia.
States with the best schools
- Massachusetts
- Connecticut
- Maryland
- New Jersey
- Wisconsin
States with the worst schools (per WalletHub)
- New Mexico
- Oklahoma
- Arizona
- Alaska
- Louisiana
