Massachusetts Schools Are Still The Best In The Nation: Study

Much has changed about school in Massachusetts in 2020, but one thing that has stayed consistent is its top standing in the country.

Massachusetts schools were far and away No. 1 in a new study conducted by personal finance site WalletHub. The Bay State led both the quality and safety lists in rankings released Monday morning.

Buoyed by top scores in math and reading tests and the second-highest median ACT scores, Massachusetts rose to the top of the quality ranking. The state was also 10th in pupil-teacher ratio, 16th in dropout rate and 20th in median SAT score.

The state finished No. 1 in safety as well, due to the lowest percentage of threatened/injured high school students and fifth-lowest bullying incidence rate.

The state was also No. 1 in the statewide closure of schools due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, though it's unclear what data points were used to determine that.

Massachusetts did have one noticeable weakness: a lower number of Blue Ribbon schools per capita.

It's the second straight year WalletHub put Massachusetts atop its list.

Massachusetts was followed in the rankings by Connecticut, New Jersey, Virginia and Vermont. At the bottom of the list was Oklahoma, Alaska, Arizona, Louisiana and New Mexico.

The states were measured on 33 metrics across the quality and safety category.

You can see the full WalletHub rankings here.

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