Education
The Bay State scored top marks in a new ranking of the best and worst public school systems in the U.S.
Massachusetts defended its “wicked smaht” title this week, taking top billing in a new ranking of the best and worst public school systems in the U.S.
WalletHub gave the Bay State top marks on its 2025 list and explained, “Massachusetts is the state with the best school systems, boasting some of the best test scores in the country.”
Released Monday, the analysis takes into consideration performance, funding, safety, class size, and instructor credentials, according to WalletHub. And Massachusetts wasn’t the only New England state to come out on top: Connecticut took home second place, while New Hampshire ranked fifth. Rhode Island came in seventh, with Maine and Vermont rounding out the New England contingent at 14th and 19th, respectively.
Per the report, Massachusetts ranked first in the U.S. in all core academic subjects this year and had the highest share of students who received a score of at least 3 out of 5 on an Advanced Placement exam.
“In addition, schools in Massachusetts are generally safe,” WalletHub noted. “Massachusetts has the fifth-lowest share of students who report being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property, the third-lowest share who have been in a physical fight at school and the fourth-lowest share who report illegal drugs being available to them on school property.”
But for all its public school glory, Massachusetts saw more lackluster results in WalletHub’s ranking of the best states for teachers (14th place) and early education systems (48th place).
See the full rankings of best and worst school systems below:
| Overall rank | State | Total score | Quality rank | Safety rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | 74.34 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | Connecticut | 67.47 | 2 | 6 |
| 3 | New Jersey | 63.81 | 3 | 21 |
| 4 | Virginia | 61.32 | 6 | 5 |
| 5 | New Hampshire | 60.80 | 4 | 15 |
| 6 | Wisconsin | 59.71 | 5 | 17 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | 59.07 | 8 | 8 |
| 8 | Indiana | 58.68 | 9 | 12 |
| 9 | Maryland | 58.54 | 16 | 4 |
| 10 | New York | 57.51 | 7 | 20 |
| 11 | Utah | 56.83 | 12 | 16 |
| 12 | Delaware | 56.59 | 30 | 1 |
| 13 | Nebraska | 56.48 | 17 | 10 |
| 14 | Maine | 56.41 | 26 | 3 |
| 15 | Illinois | 56.29 | 10 | 27 |
| 16 | North Dakota | 56.23 | 11 | 26 |
| 17 | Kentucky | 55.78 | 20 | 11 |
| 18 | Montana | 55.09 | 13 | 29 |
| 19 | Vermont | 54.45 | 25 | 13 |
| 20 | Washington | 54.16 | 24 | 7 |
| 21 | Florida | 53.96 | 27 | 9 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | 53.84 | 18 | 28 |
| 23 | Iowa | 53.83 | 22 | 22 |
| 24 | District of Columbia | 53.68 | 21 | 24 |
| 25 | Wyoming | 53.67 | 19 | 30 |
| 26 | Tennessee | 53.23 | 14 | 45 |
| 27 | Minnesota | 52.77 | 23 | 32 |
| 28 | Colorado | 51.86 | 15 | 46 |
| 29 | South Dakota | 51.72 | 28 | 23 |
| 30 | California | 50.46 | 29 | 37 |
| 31 | North Carolina | 50.07 | 35 | 14 |
| 32 | Texas | 49.85 | 32 | 18 |
| 33 | Kansas | 47.26 | 31 | 47 |
| 34 | Arkansas | 47.26 | 36 | 38 |
| 35 | Ohio | 47.17 | 37 | 33 |
| 36 | Idaho | 47.06 | 34 | 42 |
| 37 | Michigan | 46.94 | 40 | 25 |
| 38 | Georgia | 46.05 | 38 | 41 |
| 38 | Missouri | 45.76 | 33 | 51 |
| 40 | Mississippi | 44.12 | 39 | 50 |
| 41 | South Carolina | 43.92 | 43 | 31 |
| 42 | Hawaii | 43.84 | 41 | 40 |
| 43 | Alabama | 42.92 | 44 | 35 |
| 44 | Louisiana | 41.89 | 42 | 48 |
| 45 | West Virginia | 39.93 | 48 | 19 |
| 46 | Nevada | 39.50 | 45 | 49 |
| 47 | Oregon | 38.16 | 46 | 43 |
| 48 | Arizona | 37.70 | 47 | 44 |
| 49 | Alaska | 35.88 | 49 | 36 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | 32.62 | 50 | 34 |
| 51 | New Mexico | 30.37 | 51 | 39 |
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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
