New Jersey school system ranked 4th best in the nation. Here's how NJ stood out

New Jersey's school system ranked fourth in the country in a recent study by WalletHub . The ranking took into account 32 benchmarks including performance, funding, dropout rate and safety.

New Jersey schools stood out with the second highest reading test scores and the forth highest spending per pupil among all states.

But funding doesn't necessarily translate into great schools. The District of Columbia has the second highest spending per student, but its schools only ranked in the 28th position, according to the study.

“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," she added.

When it comes to safety, New Jersey schools ranked in 23rd position, but on education quality the schools of the Garden State scored high and ranked in the third position.

WalletHub's quality of education assessment considered dropout rate, standardized tests scores, high school graduation rate, teachers credentials, teacher-student ratio, amount of schools with a Blue Ribbon recognition, and their projected high school graduation rate increase between today and 10 years from now.

In this study, Massachusetts schools were ranked in the first position, followed by Connecticut and Maryland school systems.

WalletHub's 2023-2024 school ranking by state:

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: New Jersey school system ranked 4th best in the nation. Here's how NJ stood out