Texas ranks 28th in state public school systems

As parents, securing the best education for our children is a top priority. However, with the vast array of schools available, finding the right one can be a daunting task. Each child learns differently, and this has been further highlighted by the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in learning loss and decreased test scores for many students.

In Texas alone, there are over 1,000 school districts, each facing its own set of challenges, whether serving urban communities with tens of thousands of students or rural areas with only a few dozen.

Some major public education concerns in Texas include teacher retention and recruitment, mental health support, funding issues and voucher programs.

For most families in the U.S., exclusive private or preparatory schools are financially out of reach, making public education the primary option. However, the quality of public school systems varies widely from state to state, often tied to funding sources from federal, state, and local governments. Researchers have observed that higher resources and taxes paid by residents typically lead to better school system performance.

Recently, WalletHub released its ranking for the 2023 best and worst public school systems in America, with Texas ranking 28th.

Massachusetts stands strong in first place along with the best math and reading test scores.

Unlike other studies that focus on academic outcomes or school finance, WalletHub’s analysis takes a comprehensive approach, considering performance, funding, safety, class size, and instructor credentials by comparing all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 32 key metrics.

WalletHub highlights the top-performing school systems in the country. These metrics encompass various aspects of public K–12 education, and each was graded on a 100-point scale, with 100 indicating the highest quality of education across two key dimensions, “Quality” and Safety.”

Overall Rank	State	Total Score	Quality	Safety
1	Massachusetts	73.02	1	1
2	Connecticut	65.60	3	6
3	New Jersey	65.40	2	19
4	Wisconsin	61.55	4	17
5	Virginia	60.28	7	5
6	New Hampshire	60.13	5	15
7	Nebraska	59.18	8	7
8	Maryland	59.00	15	4
9	Florida	57.48	10	10
10	North Dakota	57.21	6	24
11	Indiana	57.04	13	12
12	Utah	56.80	12	14
13	New York	56.44	9	16
14	Delaware	56.27	25	2
15	Maine	55.45	28	3
16	Iowa	55.08	16	21
17	Kentucky	54.93	21	13
18	Wyoming	54.86	14	25
19	South Dakota	54.79	17	23
20	Illinois	54.54	11	33
21	Vermont	54.11	24	8
22	Montana	53.38	19	26
23	Minnesota	53.25	18	36
24	Pennsylvania	53.18	20	27
25	Washington	51.70	29	11
26	Rhode Island	51.49	32	9
27	District of Columbia	51.42	22	34
28	Texas	50.73	30	18