When looking for a new place to live, one of the biggest concerns for parents will likely be the schools in the area and there’s no doubt within a state there are some neighborhoods where schools are much better than others. But sometimes no matter how hard you look for a good school you may run into a problem because the state you’re living in just isn’t up to snuff, and according to a new report there are definitely some states where the education system is in need of major improvement.
Well, 24/7 Wall Street reviewed the 2017 edition of the Quality Counts report, released by Education Week, to determine the states with the best and worst schools in the U.S. The report looked at things like school finances, student achievement, and environmental factors to rate the strength of a state’s school system.
Overall, students in Massachusetts are getting the best education. The Massachusetts school system gets an overall “B” grade, with an 87.3% high school graduation rate and the state spending over $14,000 per pupil, which is the 11th highest in the country. The state is also the third-highest for three and four-year-olds in pre-school (57.8%), which is important in cognative development.
States With The Best Schools In The Country
Massachusetts
New Jersey
Vermont
New Hampshire
Maryland
Connecticut
Wyoming
Pennsylvania
New York
Rhode Island
On the flipside, Nevada is the state with the worst schools in the country. The state gets an overall grade of “D” for their education system, with the second-lowest high school graduation rate (71.3%), the fifth lowest per-pupil spending ($8,441) and the second lowest amount of three and four-year-olds attending pre-school (33.5%).
States With The Worst Schools In The Country
Nevada
Mississippi
New Mexico
Idaho
Oklahoma
Louisiana
Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Texas
Source: 24/7 Wall Street