Florida’s school system in US's top 15. Here's why this list ranks it there

There are only three weeks left until the first day of school for most of Florida’s K-12 students.

With the start of the 2024-2025 school year quickly approaching , WalletHub released a study ranking the best and worst school systems in the U.S. And Florida ranked in the top 15 on the “best” list.

To determine the top-performing school systems in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 32 key metrics,” the study says.

“Unlike other research that focuses primarily on academic outcomes or school finance, WalletHub’s analysis takes a more comprehensive approach. It accounts for performance, funding, safety, class size and instructor credentials.”

Here’s where Florida ranked in WalletHub’s top 15 states with the best school systems.

What U.S. state has the best school systems?

“Getting enough funding is essential for a productive school system, but simply having more money doesn’t guarantee success,” WalletHub Analyst Cassandra Happe said in the study.

“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.”

In this study, Massachusetts ranks as the state with the best school system, due to the high test scores of students throughout the state and safety.

“Massachusetts is the state with the best school systems, boasting some of the best test scores in the country,” the study says.

“In addition, schools in Massachusetts are generally safe. Massachusetts has the fifth-lowest share of students who report being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property, the third-lowest share who have been in a physical fight at school and the fourth-lowest share who report illegal drugs being available to them on school property.”

Does Florida have a good education system?

Florida took 11th place overall, taking eighth place in the safety category and 11th place in the quality category.

Here’s WalletHub’s list of the top 15 states with the best school systems:

1. Massachusetts
2. Connecticut
3. Maryland
4. New Jersey
5. Wisconsin
6. New Hampshire
7. Nebraska
8. New York
9. Virginia
10. North Dakota
11. Florida
12. Illinois
13. Indiana
14. Delaware
15. Utah

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What U.S. state has the worst school systems?

New Mexico topped WalletHub’s list of the U.S. states with the worst school systems, ranking as the worst state in the quality category and the eighth-worst state in the safety category.

Here’s WalletHub’s list of the five states with the worst school systems:

1. New Mexico
2. Oklahoma
3. Arizona
4. Alaska
5. Louisiana

Is Florida a good state for schools?

Earlier this summer, in May, U.S. News and World Report ranked Florida as the best state in the U.S. for education for the second year in a row.

But WalletHub’s study places Florida a little lower, in eighth place, ranking the Sunshine State in the bottom five when it comes to SAT scores and teacher-to-pupil ratios.

Here’s how Florida ranked in WalletHub’s individual categories:

• 17th – Math test scores
• 7th – Reading test scores
• 47th – Pupil-teacher ratio
• 47th – Median SAT score
• 34th – Median ACT score
• 34th – Percentage of licensed/certified public K–12 teachers
• 19th – Dropout rate
• 8th – Bullying incidence rate
• 15th – Percentage of threatened/injured high school students
• 1st – Existence of digital learning plan

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida’s school system in US's top 15. Here's why this list ranks it there