Illinois Schools Rank 13th Best in America

Illinois parents scrambling to collect school supplies, set carpool schedules and finish extracurricular enrollment can rest easy knowing their children attend some of the best schools in the nation.

Illinois schools rank No. 13 in the United States, according to a 2016 study by WalletHub.

The study reviewed the 50 states and the District of Columbia for school system quality and safety, using 17 relevant metrics with different weights.

Overall scores were calculated using a weighted average of the metrics. Illinois scored 57.31, with a school system quality rank of 14 and a school system safety rank of 22.

The No. 1 school system in the study is Massachusetts, with an overall score of 73.65 and first-place ranks for quality and safety. Indiana earned one place above Illinois, No. 12. Louisiana has the worst overall score — 30.33 — putting it in 51st place.

The study also found Illinois schools have the highest average SAT score in the country, with the District of Columbia falling in last place on that metric.

Walter Feinberg, professor emeritus of education policy, organization and leadership at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said state and local policymakers "can lower class size, provide incentives for seasoned, well-trained teachers to work with poorer children, assure that families are provided with easy access to health care" to improve school systems.

He said the most important parts of a school system are safe neighborhoods, good facilities and jobs that pay well.

Some schools in Illinois said earlier this summer they wouldn't be able to open their doors in the fall if the state government didn't find a solution to the budget impasse, and others planned to draw on emergency reserves, if necessary.

A budget bill passed in late June includes $11.1 billion for K-12 schools for fiscal year 2017.

Best Schools:

Massachusetts
New Jersey
Connecticut
Vermont
Wisconsin

Worst Schools:

Louisiana
New Mexico
Alaska
Arizona
District of Columbia

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