Best & Worst Schools by State (2026 Edition)

Which states have the best public schools—and which are falling behind despite billions in taxpayer funding? WalletHub analyzed all 50 states and Washington, D.C. across 32 education metrics, including academic performance, school funding, class size, teacher credentials, school safety, graduation rates, and standardized test scores. In this episode of The States, Greg Bishop breaks down which states rank at the top, which rank at the bottom, and what these education outcomes mean for taxpayers, families, and state budgets. If education is one of the largest expenses in every state budget, are taxpayers getting a good return on their investment? In this video: Best and worst states for education School rankings by state Math and reading test score leaders Graduation and dropout rate comparisons Student safety rankings Teacher-to-student ratio analysis How education spending impacts taxpayers If you enjoy fact-based reporting on government spending, education policy, and taxpayer accountability, subscribe for more coverage from across America. #Education #Schools #Taxpayer #StateRankings #PublicSchools #EducationFunding #WalletHub #SchoolRankings #GovernmentSpending #Economy