What to Know
- A quality school system is at the forefront for any parent when it comes to their children’s future, particularly when many consider that academic resources can pave the way for future success.
- With this in mind, WalletHub looked into the states with the best and worst school systems for 2024.
- According to WalletHub, not only does the tri-state rank among the best — they are among the top 10, with Connecticut and New Jersey cracking the top 5.
A quality school system is at the forefront for any parent when it comes to their children’s future, particularly when many consider that academic resources can pave the way for future success.
With this in mind, WalletHub looked into the states with the best and worst school systems for 2024. Comparing 50 states and Washington, D.C. across 32 key metrics, including performance, safety, funding, and instructor credential, WalletHub found that the school systems in the tri-state are among the best in the country.
According to WalletHub, not only does the tri-state rank among the best — they are among the top 10, with Connecticut and New Jersey cracking the top 5.
With the new academic year just around the corner, here is WalletHub’s list of the top-performing school systems in the United States.
CONNECTICUT
According to Wallethub, Connecticut beats out the rest of the tri-state — coming in at No. 2 overall thanks to how it ranked in the quality and safety categories (No. 2 and 6, respectively).
When it comes to specific metrics, Connecticut was also ranked as No. 5 in having the lowest pupil to teacher ratio.
Additionally, according to WalletHub, Connecticut boasts the best ACT test scores in the entire country. Around 7.6% of the state’s public schools also rank among the top 700 nationwide, which translates to the third-highest percentage.
Another standout reason why Connecticut ranked high, according to the study, is due to its safety since the state requires mandatory school resource officers.
NEW JERSEY
For its part, New Jersey came in at No. 4 overall, with its quality rank at No. 3 and its safety rank at No. 23.
When it comes to individual metrics, New Jersey scored high in reading test scores, having the second highest in the nation, according to the WalletHub ranking.
NEW YORK
Meanwhile, even though New York scored the lowest among the tri-state, it still ranked No. 8 overall, coming at No. 9 and 16 in quality and safety, respectively.
So which state can boast as having the best school system in the country? The honor goes to Massachusetts.
According to WalletHub’s study, New Mexico is the state with the worst school system.
For more information on the methodology used in this study, or to see the complete list, click here.
