Education

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Scott Evans

The Best and Worst States to Study in the U.S.

When considering where to live you may think of housing affordability, job prospects in the area, crime rates or something else in between, for families, one big consideration may be how good the schools are in the area.

With this in mind, Self Storage Company Pink Storage compared all 50 states across 14 key metrics relating to education quality and student safety. Data ranges from graduation rates, College dropout rates, student loan debt, number of blue ribbon schools, levels of absenteeism, overall happiness scores to LGBTQ inclusiveness.

Main Findings

Best States for Education Overall

  1. Massachusetts
  2. Connecticut
  3. New Jersey
  4. Utah
  5. South Dakota
  6. New Hampshire
  7. Nebraska
  8. North Dakota
  9. Wisconsin
  10. Maine

Worst States for Education

  1. Oregon
  2. Alabama
  3. New Mexico
  4. Alaska
  5. Louisiana
  6. Arizona
  7. South Carolina
  8. Nevada
  9. Tennessee
  10. Delaware

States with the highest college graduation rates

College can be costly and if you want the best chances of graduating these are the states where students graduate the most.

  1. Rhode Island (69% graduation rate)
  2. Utah (66% graduation rate)
  3. Massachusetts (65% graduation rate)
  4. Pennsylvania, Idaho, Pennsylvania (64% graduation rate)
  5. Florida (62% graduation rate)

States with the lowest rate of graduation

On the other hand, if you attended school in any of these States, you have a lower chance of graduating.

  1. New Mexico (38% graduation rate)
  2. Alabama, Alaska (44% graduation rate)
  3. Georgia, Hawaii (46% graduation rate)
  4. Montana, North Dakota (47% graduation rate)
  5. Arkansas, South Carolina, Wyoming (48% graduation rate)

States with the lowest student debt after graduating

Going to college and getting a degree is a great way of building a career, but where you choose to go to college could cost you an additional $14,000. Here are the States where students get into the least amount of debt.

  1. North Dakota ($29,647 debt after graduation)
  2. Iowa ($30,925 debt after graduation)
  3. South Dakota ($30,928 debt after graduation)
  4. Wyoming ($31,503 debt after graduation)
  5. Oklahoma ($32,103 debt after graduation)

States where students get into the most debt

  1. Maryland ($43,692 debt after graduation)
  2. Georgia ($42,026 debt after graduation)
  3. Virginia ($40,137 debt after graduation)
  4. Florida ($39,262 debt after graduation)
  5. Illinois ($39,055 debt after graduation)

States with the highest number of blue ribbon schools (number of schools)

Blue Ribbon schools are public and private schools in the United States that are recognized for their high academic achievement. Here are the states with the most.

  1. Texas (31)
  2. California (30)
  3. New York (21)
  4. Illinois (18)
  5. Indiana (16)

Nevada (1), Idaho, Oregon, Vermont and Washington (0) were the States with the fewest Blue Ribbon schools indicating that there is a lot of work needed to catch up with some of the other States.

States with the lowest chronically absent pupils (percentage of kids missing 10% or more of school)

Chronic absenteeism is typically defined as missing at least 10 percent of school days, or approximately 18 days in a year, for any reason, excused or unexcused.

According to ed.gov "Missing school means missing valuable instructional time and poses serious implications for students' overall academic success and wellbeing." Here are the states where your child is less likely to miss school.

  1. New Jersey (16.7%)
  2. Idaho (16.9%)
  3. Virginia (19.10%)
  4. Connecticut (19.30%)
  5. Missouri (20.50%)

States with the highest levels of chronically absent pupils

Attending school is important and studies show that children who miss a lot of school from preschool to second grade are less likely to read at grade level by third grade. Here are the states with the worst attendance.

  1. Oregon (43.80%)
  2. New Mexico (43.10%)
  3. Alaska (42.50%)
  4. Arizona (41.20%)
  5. Nevada (38.50%)

States with the highest and lowest teacher-to-pupil ratio

A low pupil-to-teacher ratio is essential because it allows teachers to give each child more attention and support. With fewer students in the classroom, teachers can better understand each child’s strengths and challenges, here are the States with the lowest ratios.

  1. Vermont (10.36)
  2. Maine (11.29)
  3. New Hampshire (11.49)
  4. New York (11.65)
  5. Massachusetts (11.79)

Alternatively, States with higher ratios mean that your children don't get enough time with the teacher and their education can suffer. Here are the States with the highest ratios.

  1. Arizona (22.69)
  2. California (21.77)
  3. Nevada (21.28)
  4. Utah (20.57)
  5. Florida (18.44)

States with the highest and lowest Math Scores (Average Scale Score)

Being good at math helps children develop problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and logical reasoning.

It builds a strong foundation for understanding science, technology, and everyday tasks like budgeting or time management. Math also boosts confidence and opens doors to future career opportunities in fields that rely on analytical and numerical skills.

Here are the States where children scored on average highest in Math.

  1. Massachusetts (284)
  2. Idaho, Utah (282)
  3. New Jersey, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Wyoming (281)
  4. Minnesota (280)
  5. Indiana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Virginia (279)

Struggling with math can make everyday tasks like budgeting, measuring, and problem-solving harder. It may limit career opportunities in math-related fields and reduce confidence in tackling logical challenges. Here are the States that scored on average lower in math.

  1. New Mexico (259)
  2. West Virginia (260)
  3. Alabama, Delaware, Oklahoma (264)
  4. Louisiana, Mississippi (266)
  5. Arkansas (267)

States with the highest and lowest Reading Scores (Average Scale Score)

Being able to read is essential for understanding information, communicating effectively, and learning new skills. It impacts education, job opportunities, and daily tasks like reading signs, instructions, or important documents.

Here are the States that scored highest in their reading scores.

  1. New Jersey (270)
  2. Massachusetts (269)
  3. Utah (265)
  4. Connecticut, Idaho, Vermont (264)
  5. Colorado, New Hampshire (263)

And here are the States that scored lowest in their reading scores.

  1. New Mexico (248)
  2. West Virginia (249)
  3. Alabama, Oklahoma (251)
  4. Alaska, Delaware, Mississippi (253)
  5. South Carolina (254)

Most and Least Inclusive States

Inclusive LGBTQ rights in education foster a safe, supportive environment where all students can thrive.

Inclusiveness promotes understanding, reduces bullying, and ensures equal opportunities. Recognizing diverse identities helps build empathy and prepares children for a more inclusive, respectful society, benefiting both individuals and the community as a whole.

Here are the most friendly LGBTQ States (Equality score)

  1. Colorado (45.25)
  2. California (45)
  3. Maine, New York (44.5)
  4. Illinois, Maryland (42)
  5. New Jersey (41.75)

And the least inclusive States:

  1. Tennessee (-14)
  2. Alabama, Arkansas (-10.5)
  3. South Carolina (-7.75)
  4. Mississippi (-7.5)
  5. Louisiana (-6.75)

Equality by State is based on The Movement Advancement Project (MAP) which tracks over 50 different LGBTQ-related laws and policies.

Scott Evans of Storage Company Pink Storage comments on the findings:

"Knowing which States have the best education system, or where your child maybe able to get a good education without pilling up that debt can be a good indicator of whether to move to a State or stay where you are."

"This study takes into consideration not just the quality of School but also your child's welfare too. By looking at our study you can see the States with more teachers, school costs, levels of absenteeism, average test scores in both math and reading, along with States that are more inclusive, States that are happier, or States where people suffer from depression more."

Methodology

To determine the States with the Best and Worst Education systems in the U.S. Pink Storage compared the 50 States across two categories 1) School Quality, 2) Pupil Safety.

We evaluated the two categories using 14 relevant metrics that were equally weighted. Each State was given a score out of 50 for being the best in that category. These metrics included: College graduation Rates, College Dropout Rates, Student Loan Debt, School Costs, Number of Blue Ribbon Schools in the Area, Violent Crime per capita, Chronic Absenteeism, Teacher to Child Ratio, Math and Reading Scores (grade 8), LGBTQ friendliness, Graduate Salary and Adolescents reporting a major depressive episode in last year.

With each category being given a maximum score per state of 50, these tallies were then added up to give us our ranking.

Data used to create this ranking were collected from The U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard), National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, Epi.org, National Blue Ribbon Schools, The Nations Report Card, National Center for Education Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, World Population Review, Indeed.com, SAMHSA, Movement Advancement Project.

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If you would like to use this data in any form, please link back to this webpage.

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