NEW JERSEY — New Jersey ranks among the nation’s worst states for racial equality in education, according to a new study released Tuesday by personal finance website WalletHub.
The report, which compared all 50 states across six measures of educational equity, ranked New Jersey 48th overall, making it the third-worst state in the nation for racial equality in education.
WalletHub’s analysis examined disparities between white and Black Americans in areas including high school and college attainment, standardized test scores and graduation rates.
Among the individual categories, New Jersey ranked 49th for the share of adults with at least a bachelor’s degree and 48th for average ACT scores. The state also ranked 34th for public high school graduation rates, 38th for mean SAT scores and 28th for the share of adults with at least a high school diploma.
New Jersey’s strongest performance came in standardized test scores, where it ranked 25th, placing it near the national average.
To determine the rankings, WalletHub evaluated states using six key indicators designed to measure educational outcomes and achievement gaps between white and Black residents.
The study comes as policymakers and educators continue to examine disparities in school funding and educational opportunities across the country. According to WalletHub, school districts serving smaller shares of Black and Hispanic students often continue to receive more resources per pupil than districts serving larger minority populations.
Massachusetts, New Mexico and Wyoming ranked among the states with the highest levels of racial equality in education, while New Jersey, Wisconsin and Connecticut were among the lowest-ranked states in the study.
The full report is available at WalletHub.com.
