WI Ranks Last Place In Racial Equality In Education, Study Finds

WISCONSIN — Wisconsin ranked last in equality of education between white and Black students across the United States, a study from WalletHub showed.

School districts with a high concentration of white students receive $23 billion more per year in funding than those with a high concentration of non-white students, a study from the nonprofit EdBuild showed.

The Badger State ranked No. 50 in a survey across the United States for differences between white and Black Americans in high school and college degrees, test scores and graduation rates, WalletHub's study showed.

Wisconsin had one of the highest gaps in adults without a high school degree (47 out of 50), one of the highest gaps in adults without a bachelor's degrees (47 out of 50), one of the highest gaps in standardized test scores (46 out of 50), and the highest gap in high school graduation rates (50 out of 50).

Wisconsin had the lowest score for racial equality in education, partly because it has some of the biggest discrepancies in test scores between white students and black students, with white students scoring higher, WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez said.

“There is a 22 percentage points difference in the graduation rates of white students and black students in Wisconsin, favoring white students, too,” she added.

No one can be denied from a school for the color of their skin after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling of 1954, but that doesn't mean educational conditions are equal for all students, the study said.

“We know, and have known for far too long, that educational opportunities and outcomes in Wisconsin are inequitable," the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction said in a statement.

"That is why we need to focus on equity in our school funding, why we need to strengthen and diversify our teaching force, and why we need to collaborate across state, local, and federal government to ensure our systems – from schools to health care to the justice system – are equitable and working for all Wisconsinites," the department added.

To read WalletHub's full study, click here.