Here Are The Best And Worst States For Your Child S Education

Leo Migdal

-Dec 3, 2025, 5:05 AM

here are the best and worst states for your child s education

A recent analysis shows the best and worst public school systems across the 50 states and the District of Columbia, using 32 key metrics including performance, funding, safety, class size and instructor credentials. From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important... At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum.

And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. If you’re a parent, finding good schools for your children can be an arduous task and knowing where to look - and live - can be a big help. Adam McCann, WalletHub Financial WriterJul 21, 2025 Securing a child’s academic success begins with choosing the right schools. But how can parents decide where to enroll their kids?

Because children develop and learn at different rates, the ideal answer to that question varies based on each student’s needs. Those needs have become even more specialized in the face of significant inflation and economic uncertainty, which have strained family resources and affected students’ academic performance and well-being. Unfortunately, most parents can’t afford to place their children in exclusive, private or preparatory schools that give their students greater individual attention. For the majority of U.S. families, public education is the only option. The quality of public school systems varies widely from state to state, though, and is often a question of funding.

Public elementary and secondary education money usually flows from three sources: the federal, state and local governments. According to the U.S. Department of Education, states contribute nearly as much as local governments, while the federal government supplies the smallest share. Some researchers have found that more resources — or taxes paid by residents — typically result in better school-system performance. Unlike other research that focuses primarily on academic outcomes or school finance, WalletHub’s analysis takes a more comprehensive approach. It accounts for performance, funding, safety, class size and instructor credentials.

To determine the top-performing school systems in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 32 key metrics. Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric... From local school board meetings to governors’ State of the State speeches to the Trump administration’s efforts at dismantling the Department of Education, a week rarely passes without major headlines — and heated debates... “Education is a very personal issue to parents,” said Shanon Taylor, a professor of special education at the University of Nevada, Reno. “It’s similar to how many people view politicians. A lot of people hold negative views of them, but will then say they like their own representatives.

We hear that about schools; people say that education is poor, but their own kids’ school is good.” Evaluating schools and comparing districts can be overwhelming, especially if your family is planning a move across state lines. To help you cut through the discourse and dig into the data, the ConsumerAffairs Research Team identified the best states for public education by analyzing data related to K-12 performance, school funding and resources,... Does your state land at the top of the class — or does it have a failing report card? Read on to find out. New York now ranks No.

1 for public education, overtaking Massachusetts, which led all states last year and dropped to No. 3. Public education is funded in part by the federal government, but that doesn’t mean that it’s equal across all states, or even all school districts. There’s a good reason that the local school system is a key concern for families when relocating. Differences in state education standards and laws, differences in funding, and differences in philosophy and focus can make school effectiveness vary widely. The latest study examines all fifty U.S.

states (plus the District of Columbia) and ranks their education systems from best to worst. In order, from highest to lowest, the top-ten ranked states in the study are Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Virginia, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Rhode Island, Indiana, Maryland, and New York. The northeastern United States clearly stands out for holding a large percentage of these highest rankings. Wallet Hub ranked the schools in a scoring system built on several factors, including test scores (Massachusetts, for example, has the highest percentage of students who scored a three or better on an AP... Maryland, the District of Columbia and Arkansas have the three best early education systems in America, while Missouri, New Hampshire and Montana have the worst. These are the findings personal finance website WalletHub has published in a new analysis.

WalletHub compared all of the states in the U.S. using 12 metrics, including whether or not the state offers a pre-K program, the spending per child enrolled in pre-K, and the number of quality benchmarks each state meets. The 12 metrics traversed the themes of access, quality, and resources and economic support and they were graded out of 100. Education is an important policy area with huge ramifications on the lives of children and parents. Early education in particular is crucial for a child's brain and social development and can have a lasting impact on a child's outcomes in the future. According to the report, Maryland ranked first with a total score of 77.62 points across the metrics WalletHub measured.

The researchers put this down to recent increases in preschool enrolment for three-year-olds, the safety levels in schools in the state, and the proportionally large budget per child enrolled in preschool. FILE - Children listen to their teacher as they sit in a classroom. (Photo by MARTIN BUREAU/AFP via Getty Images) Choosing a new place to live is a daunting task already, but when your kids’ education is added to the mix, it can be a lot of pressure. While many parents may want to pay for private or live in an area that can offer their kids the best education, that is not always accessible. For most families, public education is the only (but still good) option.

The quality of public school systems varies widely from state to state. WalletHub ranked the states that had the best and least best schools. (The Center Square) – A new report from a nonprofit organization that ranks states by educational freedom found large differences between them based on their efforts to improve the school choices families have for... The American Legislative Exchange Council's Index of State Education Freedom, released Thursday, ranks states based on the school choice options and funding programs they offer students and their families. Andrew Handel, director of ALEC’s education and workforce development task force and the report’s lead author, told The Center Square which states ranked at the top of the index and the bottom based on... “The top five states are Florida, Arizona, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Iowa,” Handel said.

“It’s no surprise that all five states have universal eligibility programs.” Handel said North Carolina jumped 23 spots on the index because it allowed 50,000 students to join its school choice program. One of the most important things parents consider when deciding where to raise a child is the local school system. But the quality of public education can be drastically different state-to-state. While some states invest heavily in education and see strong outcomes, others struggle with underfunding, overcrowded classrooms, and lower test scores. And it’s not just academics that matter: parents also care deeply about safety, access to resources, and overall student well-being.

To understand how each state stacks up, WalletHub set out to find the best and worst public school systems in the country. The analysis looked at a series of factors across two broad categories: quality and safety. It considered everything from the number of Blue Ribbon Schools per capita and median SAT and ACT scores to dropout rates, bullying incidents, and the prevalence of school shootings. “Getting enough funding is essential for a productive school system, but simply having more money doesn’t guarantee success,” said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. “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.”

Continue reading to see which states earned top marks — and which ones fell to the bottom of the list.

Here Are The Best And Worst States For Your Child S Education

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