The best states for public education in 2026

Top five states with the best public education

The top five states tend to have a few key features in common, like robust school funding, low student-to-teacher ratios and high standardized test scores. What’s also notable is that four out of the top five states are located in the Northeast.

“The Northeastern states tend to have much higher median household income (and) pay more into state income tax and property taxes, allowing those states to fund education at higher levels,” said Taylor, the professor of special education at the University of Nevada, Reno. While money must be strategically spent to make a real impact on student achievement, the link between school funding and performance outcomes is well established.

Read on for a closer examination of how the top-ranked states earned their high marks — and a few areas where they still have room for improvement.

1. New York

New York ranks the highest overall for public education, taking last year’s crown from Massachusetts. The Empire State ranks fifth best for school safety and 13th for higher education. However, its top rank is really owed to its robust school funding and resources.

New York boasts the most-educated teachers of any state, with 95% of K-12 teachers holding advanced degrees. It also has one of the best student-to-teacher ratios in the nation (11.6-to-1) and the second-highest average teacher salary, at $95,615 a year. (That’s well above the state’s median household income of $82,095.)

That kind of resourcing adds up, and it’s part of why New York has the highest expenditure per student of any state: $34,001 on each K-12 pupil.

Despite this wealth of resources, New York only ranks 18th best for K-12 performance, including 21st in high school graduation rate and 25th and 27th in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for fourth and eighth graders, respectively.

As the 2025-2026 school year begins, the state is trying one controversial new tactic to improve student performance: a bell-to-bell ban on students using smartphones. The initiative, championed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, is aimed at eliminating distractions so students can focus on learning.

2. Connecticut

Connecticut ranks second overall for public education, with strong marks across several key metrics. The Constitution State ranks ninth best for high school graduation rate and NAEP results in fourth and eighth grades.

Connecticut also boasts the highest average ACT score in the country (26.5). Overall, Connecticut’s K-12 performance scores third highest in the country.

The state also ranks third best for school funding and resources, spending $25,516 per student (fifth most) and paying teachers an average of $86,511.

It’s worth noting that Connecticut climbed six places from last year’s ranking. That tracks with Connecticut’s improving test scores and school attendance in the 2024-2025 school year. While most key metrics evaluated by the Connecticut State Department of Education are still below prepandemic levels, many are now with just a point or two of those scores.

3. Massachusetts

Massachusetts ranks third overall for public education, with outstanding scores across several key data points. It ranks first overall for K-12 performance and second overall for school funding and resources. In fact, Massachusetts has the highest composite score for those two categories, showing a strong positive link between funding and performance.

Drilling into the details, Massachusetts has the second-highest high school graduation rate (90%) and the highest NAEP scores among both fourth and eighth graders. Public schools in the state have a low average ratio of fewer than 12 students per teacher, and more than five out of six K-12 educators hold advanced degrees.

Despite these exceptional metrics for primary and secondary schooling, Massachusetts ranks in the bottom 10 states for higher education. Metrics are especially poor for Massachusetts’ two-year colleges: The state ranks second worst for affordable tuition and dead last for graduation rate.

Critical to note, however, is that many students enrolling in two-year programs aren’t shouldering the high tuition. Thanks to the state’s MassEducate program, which began in fall 2024, Bay Staters can now attend community college tuition- and fee-free if they meet certain eligibility requirements. Removing cost barriers has driven a surge in enrollment in two-year degree programs; time will tell if graduation rates will improve, too.

4. New Jersey

New Jersey ranks fourth overall for public education, one position lower than its 2024 ranking. While the state lags in a few key metrics, like high school graduation rate (85%, 33rd best) and share of teachers with advanced degrees (57%, 30th), New Jersey ranks in the top 10 states for overall K-12 performance and in the top five states for school funding and resources.

Strong NAEP scores are a highlight: The state’s average scores on the fourth grade reading and math tests are the fourth highest in the country, and scores on the eighth grade tests are second best. New Jersey also boasts a low student-to-teacher ratio (tied with Massachusetts for fifth lowest) and robust investment in education, spending an average of $26,747 on each K-12 student (fourth most of all states).

New Jersey leads the nation in school safety, far outperforming the other top-ranked states. In the Garden State, gun violence incidents in schools are rare (0.4 per 100,000 K-12 and college students). The state also has the lowest rate of reported criminal offenses at colleges. And New Jersey is taking further steps to foster safe learning environments: In March 2025, the New Jersey Department of Health launched a new SAFE NJ initiative to provide schools with additional mental health and safety resources, including immediate crisis support and an anonymous method for reporting concerns and requesting help.

5. Illinois

Illinois climbed an impressive 12 positions since last year to arrive at the rank of fifth best for public education. The state ranks in the top 10 for school funding and resources, with solid teacher salaries (average of $75,978, 12th highest in the country), low student-to-teacher ratios (about 13.5 students per K-12 teacher) and significant per-student spending ($24,716, sixth most of all states). Illinois also ranks in the top 10 for school safety.

Where Illinois truly shines, however, is in higher education. The state ranks seventh in that category — higher than the four states that outrank Illinois overall. Standout metrics for the Prairie State include per-student averages for funding ($20,980, third highest) and grant aid ($1,520, 11th highest).

Still, there’s plenty of room for improvement. Illinois ranks near the middle of the pack for college retention rate and two- and four-year public college graduation rates. The state is also among the 10 most expensive for average four-year in-state tuition. Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that while tuition and fees continue to rise, Illinois’s state schools face declining enrollment as some would-be students opt for less expensive options in neighboring states.

Which states rank poorly for public education?

No region is a monolith, but there are some geographic trends at either end of the ranking. While half of the top 10 states for public education are in the Northeast, the worst-performing states are concentrated in the South and West. This goes beyond just the bottom five ranks: The bottom 13 states are all located in either the South or West.

There’s a lot to unpack in those regional differences, including student demographics. “States in the Southwest are more ethnically and linguistically diverse,” said Taylor. “States and districts with higher levels of students who have a primary language other than English will likely have lower achievement test scores.” (Research supports this, too. In a recent brief for NWEA, Jim Soland, associate professor in education at the University of Virginia, wrote: “ELL students often have lower mean achievement test scores in reading and mathematics, higher dropout rates, and lower college attendance than their English-speaking peers.”)

The bottom-ranked states have other key traits in common, too, like scant funding, poor graduation rates and low scores on standardized tests. Keep reading for more in-depth analysis on states that are struggling to maintain strong, safe public schools.

1. Arizona

For the second year in a row, Arizona ranks last in public education. The state earned poor marks across nearly every category, including last overall in school funding. It has the most crowded classrooms in the country, with an average ratio of nearly 23 students per teacher. Arizona also ranks second worst for overall K-12 performance, with the lowest high school graduation rate in the nation; nearly one in four students doesn’t graduate.

Part of Arizona’s achievement gap may be attributable to a crisis of chronic absenteeism. In the 2022-2023 school year, almost 30% of public school students in first through eighth grade were chronically absent, missing at least 10% of the school year. While the rate of chronic absenteeism has improved slightly since peaking at a staggering 34% in the previous year, it’s still more than double the prepandemic rate. (Fortunately, schools can see tangible benefits from even incremental improvements to absenteeism: Research indicates that increasing school attendance by just 1% can yield a 1.5% increase in students passing Arizona’s third grade reading assessment.)

It’s also worth noting that Arizona has a strong culture around school choice. In the 2021-2022 school year, about a third of Arizona’s students chose to attend school outside their local public school district. In 2022 Arizona became the first state to allow all students to use public dollars for private school tuition — a policy that at least 16 states will adopt by the 2026-2027 school year.

This universal school choice program comes at a great cost — more than $943 million. In 2023, it was estimated that more than 53% of all new K-12 spending would go toward just 8% of Arizona students. It may be no surprise, then, that Arizona’s remaining education dollars are stretched thin across public school students. The state spends just $13,514 per K-12 pupil, while the average per-student funding from the Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) can reach up to $43,000 for students with disabilities.

When families increasingly turn to alternative education institutions, “direct comparisons to public schools become impossible, especially since many of the higher-performing students are the ones leaving the public school system,” said Jessica Bartnick, CEO of Foundation for CHOICE, which offers mentoring to underserved students. “That dynamic helps explain why Arizona’s public schools struggle in rankings even as some individual schools perform at or above national averages."

2. Alaska

Alaska fell a startling 22 places from last year’s ranking to land at second worst overall for public education. With one of the lowest high school graduation rates in the country and some of the lowest NAEP scores, the state ranks last for K-12 performance.

Interestingly, Alaska ranks in the top 20 states for both school funding (19th) and higher education (17th). Low funding doesn’t seem to be the problem: Alaska spends the 10th most on K-12 students ($22,747 each), and the most in the country on college students ($24,310). Even so, the college retention rate and four-year college graduation rate are the lowest in the country.

Some Alaska schools face more fundamental challenges, like school buildings that are so dilapidated that they’re unsafe to inhabit. An investigation by KYUK, NPR and ProPublica found that over the past 25 years, state officials have mostly ignored hundreds of requests by rural school districts, leaving schools across the state in crumbling condition.

In a 2025 legislative session, lawmakers passed just 5% of the estimated $800 million needed to keep school buildings safe, but Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed more than two-thirds of that spending, attributing budget shortfalls to decreasing state revenue as oil prices fall.

3. Nevada

Nevada ranks in the bottom 10 states for K-12 performance and school funding, and in the bottom 11 for school safety. The Silver State has the lowest ACT scores in the country and ranks in the bottom 10 states for K-12 expenditure per student, high school graduation rate, crowded classrooms and NAEP results among eighth graders.

Higher education in Nevada scored significantly better, largely owing to a strong graduation rate at two-year public colleges (third best in the nation, at nearly 60%). Unfortunately, the graduation rate isn’t nearly as strong for four-year colleges: At just over 54%, it’s eighth lowest in the nation.

Struggling school performance has raised alarm bells all the way up to the state Legislature, and summer 2025 saw the passage of an education reform package that will launch a new open enrollment system for public school students. Under this system, students can transfer outside their residential zone as long as there’s room in their grade level, and families trying to leave low-performing schools can access transportation subsidies so it’s easier to make the switch.

4. Oklahoma

Oklahoma ranks fourth worst for public education, with particularly low metrics for funding (second worst in the country). The Sooner State invests the second-lowest amount of any state in K-12 students ($12,212 per year) and has the lowest number of public school teachers with advanced degrees (31%).

While per-student expenditures in Oklahoma are low relative to the rest of the nation, they’ve increased by nearly half since 2013, outpacing inflation. But over the same period, NAEP fourth grade reading scores and eighth grade math scores have fallen by roughly 10 points, which experts say is equivalent to approximately a year of learning.

Performance suffers across age groups: Oklahoma ranks in the bottom 10 states for fourth and eighth grade NAEP scores, as well as SAT and ACT scores. Overall, Oklahoma is seventh worst in the country for K-12 school performance.

Over the summer, Oklahoma’s school funding got extra attention when Superintendent Ryan Walters ordered that schools begin offering free meals for all students, starting in the 2025-2026 school year. A swirl of criticism followed as schools scrambled to respond to the initiative and clarify their budgets — and legal restrictions — after Walters had incorrectly flagged a number of districts as sitting on massive surpluses.

There is one major bright spot in Oklahoma’s public education, however: It ranks in the top 10 states for school safety, with lower rates of gun violence in schools and crime on college campuses.

5. New Mexico

New Mexico improved slightly in ranking from last year, but it wasn’t enough to bump the state out of the bottom five. The Land of Enchantment still ranks dead last in a number of key metrics, including average NAEP scores for both fourth and eighth graders and average SAT score.

However, New Mexico ranks much higher for school funding (27th out of 50), suggesting a disconnect between the quantity of the state’s resources for K-12 schools and how they’re being leveraged.

In higher education, New Mexico presents another interesting mix of high- and low-ranked metrics. The state offers the most grant aid per student in the nation ($3,720) and has some of the lowest two- and four-year college tuition, but its retention and graduation rates are among the worst in the U.S.

Things are more clear-cut when it comes to school safety: New Mexico is in last place in this category. It lacks a school safety board at the state level, despite having the highest rates in the country of gun violence incidents at schools and reported criminal offenses at colleges.

See how your state ranks in education

From 2024 to 2025, the top 10 ranks have shifted noticeably. Illinois, California and Maryland climbed into the top 10 for 2025, while Vermont, Minnesota and Wisconsin dropped out.

No state maintained its position year over year, and states at the geographical extremes happened to make some of the biggest position changes: Alaska sank 22 positions, Florida rose 17 places, and California climbed an astonishing 24 spots to reach the rank of eighth best overall.

States like Utah stand out, too: While it ranks 39th out of 50 for public education overall, the state seems to be doing something right when it comes to spending effectively for student outcomes. The Beehive State has strong K-12 performance (fifth best overall) despite having the third lowest per-student expenditure ($12,337), crowded classrooms (nearly 21 K-12 students per teacher) and fewer than half of educators holding advanced degrees.

Intrigued by the ebb and flow in education ranking? Dive into the numbers yourself.

Making sense of the data

Keep the following in mind when combing through the data above:

• Imagine teachers’ salaries in the context of a state’s cost of living. A teacher making high five or low six figures may be unheard of in your hometown, but consider how far those dollars will (or won’t) stretch, depending on location. Prime example: In California, the average public school teacher makes $101,084 a year. That might seem like a lot, but as a percentage of the income required to buy a home in the state’s largest metros, it’s far less than what a teacher makes in Mississippi, which has the lowest average teacher salary in the country.
• About half the states require that all high school students take the SAT or the ACT. That can impact scores — and may help explain why a state could have stellar marks on one of the standardized tests but not the other. “States with 100% student participation have lower average scores, while states with low completion rates have higher average scores, as only students who intend to apply for college admission take the test,” said Taylor.
• The metrics we analyzed are interconnected, and many of the issues play out at a systemic level. For example, funding and performance often go hand in hand, but sky-high expenditures don’t always guarantee soaring test scores (see New York). For a richer picture of school achievement, consider all of the data points together rather than getting laser-focused on a single high or low metric.

Consider a state’s education system before moving there

For many parents, where your child goes to school is a highly personal choice. And for some families, it’s also about where they can afford to go. That might involve budgeting to foot the bill for private school tuition, or saving to buy a home in a neighborhood where you can afford the mortgage — and the property taxes.

But setting those concerns aside for the time being, where should you send your student to school?

“The answer is very nuanced, depending upon the circumstances of your family,” said Allison Hertog, a former teacher who now works as an attorney supporting families of students with disabilities. “It's a very complicated calculus, perhaps more complicated than ever.”

Look at the district level

Because not all education is created — or evaluated — equally, both Hertog and Taylor encourage parents to zoom in beyond the state level and compare the performance and achievement data in the district they're living in versus the district they're moving to.

“There is sometimes wide variability among school districts, with some being urban districts with high enrollment and others being very rural with low student enrollment,” said Taylor.

“Nationwide, our public schools are mostly locally funded and controlled, and how a particular district is performing is most important,” said Hertog. “In the end how good a child’s experience is often comes down to how good the teacher is, and that can change from year to year even whether you’re in the best-performing or least-performing school.”

Consider your unique circumstances

If you live in a low-ranked state and can’t afford to send your child to a private or specialized school, that doesn’t mean your child won’t succeed. However, there may be additional hurdles if they’re attending school in an under-resourced district, and/or if they’re a member of a marginalized group.

For example, families lacking permanent legal status face a uniquely harrowing set of concerns and challenges in regard to public schools. “Now, some parents also need to consider the federal crackdown on illegal immigration when they ponder a move across state lines. There’s a very real fear in Southwestern states, for instance, that ICE will enter the public schools (to conduct raids),” said Hertog.

Matters get more complex for students with learning differences or disabilities that require additional resources, support and/or individualized instruction. While some states, like Arizona, offer voucher programs to pay for some or all of specialized services or private tuition for students with disabilities, that’s not the only path to a quality education.

“Students with the highest needs, in my opinion, will always be served better in well-funded public schools where they have federal and state rights to services,” said Hertog.

Remember the big picture

Amid the highly politicized nationwide discourse around public education in the U.S., there’s a “general misunderstanding” about how education policy and practices work in our country, said Taylor.

“We have been hearing a lot about ‘sending education back to the states,’ when in reality, education already is under control of the states,” she said. “If education was controlled by the federal government, we would have nationwide requirements on curricula, textbooks, teacher licensure and graduation, just to name a few. States and local school boards make all these decisions.”

Ultimately, what matters most is that parents are empowered to research their options, analyze the facts and advocate for their children so they feel safe, supported and able to thrive in the classroom.

Methodology

To determine the states with the best public school systems in the U.S., the ConsumerAffairs Research Team compared all 50 U.S. states across four categories: K-12 performance, school funding and resources, higher education quality, and school safety. We omitted Washington, D.C., from the 2025 analysis to focus on states.

The scores for each of the four categories were calculated using the following metrics:

• K-12 performance (30 points): The K-12 performance score is based on five metrics: public high school four-year graduation rate (2021-2022) (10 points), average SAT score (2024) (5 points), average ACT score (2024) (5 points) and average NAEP reading and math scores for fourth and eighth graders (2024) (5 points each). Data was sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics, College Board, ACT, The Nation’s Report Card and Wisevoter (2022) (graduation rates for Oklahoma and New Mexico only).
• School funding and resources (30 points): The school funding and resources score is based on four metrics: expenditure per K-12 student (2023-2024) (7.5 points), K-12 student-to-teacher ratio (2023-2024) (7.5 points), average K-12 public school teacher salary (2023-2024) (7.5 points) and percentage of K-12 public school teachers with advanced degrees (2020-2021) (7.5 points). Data comes from the National Education Association, the National Center for Education Statistics and Ballotpedia (2022) (student-to-teacher ratio for Wyoming only).
• Higher education quality (30 points): The higher education quality score is based on seven metrics: four-year public college graduation rate (2017) (3 points), two-year public college graduation rate (2020) (3 points), retention rate at public colleges (2023) (6 points), average in-state tuition and fees for four-year public colleges (2024-2025) (3 points), average in-district tuition and fees for two-year public colleges (2024-2025) (3 points), state/local funding per full-time college student (2022-2023) (6 points) and state grant aid per full-time undergraduate student (2022-2023) (6 points). Data was sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics, College Board, EducationData.org (average in-district tuition and fees for two-year colleges in Alaska only) and SHEEO (state grant aid per full-time undergraduate student for Wyoming only).
• Safety (10 points): The safety score is based on three metrics: whether the state has a school safety board (2022) (4 points), the number of gun violence incidents at all schools per 100,000 students (2024-2025) (3 points) and the number of reported criminal offenses at colleges per 10,000 students (2023) (3 points). Data comes from Education Commission of the States, the Gun Violence Archive and the Office of Postsecondary Education.

The best-performing state for each of the individual metrics received the maximum number of points, and all other states were assigned points based on how they compared relative to the best-performing state. We added the scores together to calculate an overall score out of 100 points.

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