Study: California has 30th-best public school system in America

The quality of public school systems varies widely from state to state, and California falls within the middle of the pack when it comes to the best in the nation, according to a recent study. 

According to WalletHub, a personal finance research company, many American families cannot afford to send their children to private schools, especially due to recent rising costs and inflation. This leaves public school as the only option for most pupils across the country, WalletHub researchers explained in the study. 

When it comes to public school system quality, much of it comes down to funding, the study found.

“Public elementary and secondary education money usually flows from three sources: the federal, state and local governments,” WalletHub says. “According to the U.S. Department of Education, states contribute nearly as much as local governments, while the federal government supplies the smallest share. Some researchers have found that more resources — or taxes paid by residents — typically result in better school-system performance.” 

Researchers took into account 32 different metrics to conclude which state has the best public school system, including performance, funding, safety, class size and instructor credentials. The study found that the East Coast dominates when it comes to the best public school system, with the top five being Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Virginia and New Hampshire. 

The Golden State is 30^th on the list of best public school systems, WalletHub found. When it came to the study’s most key dimensions — overall quality and school safety — California ranked 29^th and 37^th, respectively.

When it came to spending, California ranked 17^th in the nation. California also finished 2^nd in percentage of threatened or injured high school students, behind Delaware. Based on the researchers’ methodology, California’s public school system falls under the “high spending and weak school system” category. 

Other states in that category include Louisiana, Oregon, Alaska, Minnesota, Colorado, Hawaii and Wyoming. 

It wasn’t all bad though, WalletHub found that California is tied for the best median ACT scores in America, along with Connecticut and Washington, D.C.

Methodology

In order to determine the best and worst states for public-school education, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across their two key dimensions of quality and safety using 32 relevant metrics. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest quality of public K–12 education. 

Each state’s weighted average across all metrics was then calculated to find its overall score. 

You can read the full study and see a detailed breakdown of the methodology here.