The Brief

A quality education begins with finding the right school and can go a long way towards setting up a child for success academically and socially.

And whether you’re a family relocating to another state or searching for a new school in your community, there are several things to consider, like education quality, school resources, curriculum, graduation rates, and student safety.

These categories were some of the focal points for studies released by Consumer Affairs and WalletHub to rank states that excel academically for K-12 education for students.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts has the best public schools in the U.S. with a 96.1% high school graduation rate, with the highest average ACT score (26.4 out of the highest possible score of 36), which is tied with Connecticut, according to Consumer Affairs.

New York

New York ranks as one of the top states for education, in part because of the financial resources allocated for students and teachers.

The state pays its teachers one of the nation’s highest salaries ($92,696 per year) and has more teachers with advanced degrees (master’s degree or higher) than any other state in the U.S. New York also has a student-to-teacher ratio that ranks sixth best in the U.S., at 11.7 students per teacher.

New Jersey

New Jersey earns high grades as a top state in part because of students' performance on tests. Eighth grade students are first overall in the U.S. in reading assessments and rank in the top 10 in both fourth-grade reading and math assessments and eighth-grade math assessments.

The state also has smaller student-to-teacher ratios — with one teacher for every 11.8 students — and the schools in the region perform well when it comes to school safety. According to Consumer Affairs, New Jersey had the fourth-lowest number of gun violence incidents per 100,000 students between 2022 and 2024.

Washington

Washington has one of the country’s highest average ACT scores in its schools, 24.5, and one of the highest average teacher salaries in the U.S., at $86,804 annually. Washington also has the nation’s third-highest grant aid per student at $2,060.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania boasts the second-highest high school graduation rate in the U.S. at 95.89%, and students have an average ACT score of 23.9, which is 23% higher than the U.S. average. Consumer Affairs noted that the state has a lower-than-average student-to-teacher ratio (13.3 students per teacher) and employs a high rate of teachers with advanced degrees.

Vermont

Vermont has the third-highest high school graduation rate, with 94.55% of students earning a diploma, and students perform well on SAT and ACT scores based on national averages, coupled with an excellent student-to-teacher ratio in the U.S. (10.5 students per teacher).

Minnesota

Minnesota has a high school graduation rate (94.13%) and high test scores. Students have the ninth-highest average SAT score in the U.S. (1201), and K-12 Minnesota public schools perform well on fourth grade and eighth-grade national math assessments.

Connecticut

Connecticut is one of the best states for student achievement on ACT test scores in the U.S. WalletHub noted in its report that roughly 7.6% of Connecticut public schools rank in the top 700 public schools in the U.S.,

The state has the fifth-highest number of students who received a 3 or higher on an advanced placement exam and has one of the best student-to-teacher ratios in the U.S. Connecticut also tops states regarding school safety.

Maryland

Maryland is one of the nation’s top places for education with public school ranking in the top 700 in the U.S. at 6.2%. And students also do well on tests, with the 11th-best ACT scores and 13th-best SAT scores and the seventh-highest share of students with scores of at least 3 on advanced placement tests, per WalletHub.

Additionally, Maryland excels at providing educational resources available to students outside school as the states implemented laws that make technology obtainable for students.

Virginia

Virginia has one of the higher student averages for ACT scores at 24.6. Schools in the state have low student-to-teacher ratios (13.6 students per teacher), and an above-average percentage of teachers with advanced degrees. And when it comes to state universities, Virginia has a high four-year college graduate rate at 69.3%, along with the fifth-highest public college retention rate at 85.9% in the U.S.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin has one of the nation’s highest high school graduation rates at 93% and a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.7 students for every teacher. Moreover, the state has one of the best average SAT scores in the U.S. at 1236, roughly 20% above the U.S. average.