US States That Are Home to Best Public Schools

The preschool-to-college pipeline can be a conduit to lifetime success for kids, though it may depend on where exactly the majority of that pipe runs through. To determine what US states boast the best public school systems, WalletHub compared all 50, plus DC, across 32 metrics in two main categories: quality (which covers everything from blue ribbon schools per capita and teacher-student ratios to high school graduation and dropout rates and test scores), and safety, including disciplinary and bullying rates, youth incarceration rates, the number of school shootings, and the share of high school students who've been violent, had access to drugs, or aren't attending school due to safety concerns. The East Coast claims the majority of the best educational systems, with Massachusetts emerging as teacher's pet. Check out the 10 best and worst:

Best states

1. Massachusetts (also No. 1 in "Quality" category)
2. Connecticut
3. New Jersey
4. Virginia
5. New Hampshire
6. Wisconsin
7. Rhode Island
8. Indiana
9. Maryland
10. New York

Worst states

42. Hawaii
43. Alabama
44. Louisiana
45. West Virginia
46. Nevada
47. Oregon
48. Arizona
49. Alaska
50. Oklahoma
51. New Mexico (also last in "Quality" category)

See how other states were graded here. (The best states for families overall.)