BALTIMORE, MD—With public education spending in the U.S. reaching over $16,000 per pupil each year, the personal-finance website WalletHub has released its report on the States with the Best & Worst School Systems in 2024, to help parents find the most worthwhile places to enroll their children.
Maryland came in at No. 3 on the list. Massachusetts topped the list with Connecticut coming in at No. 2.
WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 32 key measures of quality and safety. The data set ranges from the pupil-teacher ratio and dropout rate to median standardized-test scores.
Quality & Safety of Schools in Maryland (1=Best; 25=Avg.):
- Overall Rank: 3rd
- 28th – Pupil-Teacher Ratio
- 13th – Median SAT Score
- 5th – Median ACT Score
- 26th – Dropout Rate
- 12st – Bullying Incidence Rate
- 11th – % of Threatened/Injured High School Students
- 1st – Existence of Digital Learning Plan
“Getting enough funding is essential for a productive school system, but simply having more money doesn’t guarantee success,” said WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe. “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.”
“Massachusetts is the state with the best school systems, boasting some of the highest math and reading scores in the country,” Happe added. “In addition, Massachusetts has the highest share of students in the country who received a score of three or better on an AP exam. Finally, Massachusetts has the fifth-lowest share of students who report being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property and the fourth-lowest share who report illegal drugs being available to them on school property.”
The full list can be viewed online here.
More in the video below.
Photo via Pixabay
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