NEW JERSEY — New Jersey has the third-best public school system in the nation, according to a new WalletHub study that compared states on school quality and safety.
The personal finance website evaluated all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 32 metrics, including student performance, teacher qualifications, graduation rates, class size and school safety. The report comes as public education spending in the United States exceeds $16,500 per student annually.
New Jersey ranked third overall behind only Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Among the state’s highest rankings, New Jersey placed first for its low high school dropout rate and first for having a statewide digital learning plan. It also ranked second in reading test scores, fifth in math test scores, eighth in both pupil-teacher ratio and median ACT scores, and 25th for the percentage of licensed or certified public K-12 teachers.
In school safety-related measures, New Jersey ranked 21st for bullying incidence and 16th for the percentage of high school students who reported being threatened or injured.
New Jersey’s rankings:
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- Overall: 3rd
- Math test scores: 5th
- Reading test scores: 2nd
- Pupil-teacher ratio: 8th
- Median ACT score: 8th
- Licensed/certified public K-12 teachers: 25th
- Dropout rate: 1st
- Bullying incidence: 21st
- Threatened/injured high school students: 16th
- Digital learning plan: 1st
WalletHub said the rankings are intended to help parents evaluate the quality and safety of school systems across the country. The full report is available at wallethub.com.
