How Do California Schools Rank Compare to the Rest of the Nation?

As back-to-school shopping begin in earnest, parents in California may be surprised to learn how California schools fare compare to the rest of the country.

A new study by Wallet Hub, a financial advice company, puts California schools at the bottom of the pack. California school systems are the ninth worse in the nation.

Only West Virginia, South Carolina, Oregon, Louisiana, Arizona, Nevada, the District of Columbia and Alaska are ranked lower.

The study used public data available for 13 metrics, including student-teacher ratios, dropout rates and test scores. It also came up with a safety ranking based on bullying incidents, incarceration rates and a school safety survey.

Here’s how California measured up:

• 38th in percentage of high school graduates who completed the ACT
• 46th in math test score
• 42nd in reading rest score
• 51st in pupil-to-teacher ratio
• 30th in dropout rate
• 34th in average SAT Score

California schools were also some of the least safe, according to the study. D.C. was the least safe, followed by Indiana, California, South Dakota and Colorado.

But all is not lost, some of the best high schools in the nation are in California, according to Niche.com

So, which states have the best schools? According to Wallet Hub, they are Massachusetts, Colorado, New Jersey, Wisconsin and Kentucky.

You can see the nationwide results in the interactive map below:

For the full results, check out the full study, which includes a breakdown of each category, here.

--Photo via Shutterstock