Ohio Ranks 31st in Nationwide School System Survey, Report Claims

Summer is just about over, and pretty soon the kids will head back to school. For students in Ohio, that means returning to classrooms that are a little below average according to a nationwide report released by WalletHub.

The number-crunchers at WalletHub compared every school system in the nation, and Ohio found itself almost in the middle, ranking 31st in a nationwide list of school systems.

The report compares factors such as SAT scores, dropout rates, reading scores and math scores. WalletHub also compared spending vs. outcome, and Ohio didn't fare that well in that category with the 19th highest spending per student, only to achieve the 31st best outcome.

Ohio has made some controversial decisions with regards to spending, particularly with the financing of charter schools which might have affected the score. According to the Washington Post, budget cuts were made for traditional public schools at the same time funding was increased for charter schools and school vouchers.

Lawrence O. Picus, associate dean of faculty affairs and professor of education, finance and policy at the University of Southern California, isn’t surprised by that disparity.

“There is no obvious or clear correlation between spending and school quality,” said Picus. “School quality is a function of providing adequate resources (personnel, instructional materials, etc.) to students and then offering strong instruction programs that challenge children and help those who are struggling so they can master the material.”

WalletHub also looked at school safety, comparing bullying incidents, disciplinary incidents, youth incarceration and student reports of bullying or threatening behaviors. In terms of safety, Ohio came in near the bottom of all school systems at 44.

BEST SCHOOLS

1. Massachusetts
2. New Jersey
3. Connecticut
4. Vermont
5. Wisconsin

WORST SCHOOLS

1. Louisiana
2. New Mexico
3. Alaska
4. Arizona
5. District of Columbia

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