Few aspects play a more important role in a child’s development than their educational experience. But among the nearly 50 million American public school students in grades K-12, the quality of that experience varies considerably.
Key measures – ranging from annual budgets to graduation rates, and everything in between – show that there is no shortage of struggling school districts in the United States. Many public school districts across the country are understaffed, underfunded, and underperforming. (Here is a look at the best private high schools in America.)
Still, there are also school districts that are notable for the opposite reasons. These districts offer students updated facilities, a range of extracurricular activity options, a dedicated teaching staff, and they have a track record of high graduation rates.
According to data compiled by Niche, an education research platform, Wayzata Public School District in Plymouth, Minnesota, ranks as the best school district in the state. Niche based its ranking on a weighted index of several measures, including self-reported standardized test scores, parent and student surveys, extracurricular activities, and indicators of teacher quality.
The district enrolls a total of 12,013 students, and has a student-teacher ratio of 17:1. The district has an average graduation rate of 96% and standardized state test results show that about 81% of students are proficient in reading and 79% are proficient in math.
All data in this story came from Niche. A full description of each measure used to calculate this ranking is available here.
| State | Top school district | Graduation rate (%) | Number of students per teacher | Total enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | Skagway School District | N/A | 10 | 144 |
| Alabama | Madison City Schools | 97 | 17 | 11,804 |
| Arkansas | Haas Hall Academy | 95 | 15 | 1,407 |
| Arizona | Catalina Foothills Unified School District | 95 | 18 | 5,190 |
| California | Palo Alto Unified School District | 95 | 18 | 11,395 |
| Colorado | Cheyenne Mountain School District No. 12 | 96 | 15 | 5,270 |
| Connecticut | Westport School District | 99 | 11 | 5,329 |
| Delaware | Appoquinimink School District | 95 | 15 | 11,914 |
| Florida | St. Johns County School District | 94 | 22 | 44,550 |
| Georgia | Buford City Schools | 93 | 19 | 5,468 |
| Hawaii | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Iowa | Pleasant Valley Community School District | 97 | 16 | 5,331 |
| Idaho | Troy School District | 90 | 13 | 270 |
| Illinois | Adlai E. Stevenson High School District No. 125 | 96 | 15 | 4,315 |
| Indiana | West Lafayette Community School Corporation | 95 | 16 | 2,316 |
| Kansas | Blue Valley Unified School District (Overland Park) | 96 | 14 | 22,148 |
| Kentucky | Murray Independent Schools | 95 | 18 | 1,783 |
| Louisiana | Zachary Community Public Schools | 94 | 18 | 5,444 |
| Massachusetts | Weston Public Schools | 95 | 11 | 1,906 |
| Maryland | Howard County Public Schools | 93 | 14 | 57,293 |
| Maine | Yarmouth Schools | 95 | 12 | 1,670 |
| Michigan | Novi Community School District | 95 | 18 | 6,580 |
| Minnesota | Wayzata Public School District | 96 | 17 | 12,013 |
| Missouri | School District of Clayton | 99 | 11 | 2,514 |
| Mississippi | Petal School District | 90 | 16 | 4,106 |
| Montana | Geraldine Public Schools | N/A | 4 | 49 |
| North Carolina | Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools | 91 | 13 | 11,926 |
| North Dakota | Edmore School District No. 2 | N/A | 3 | 35 |
| Nebraska | Elkhorn Public Schools | 97 | 15 | 10,642 |
| New Hampshire | SAU 70 | 92 | 10 | 1,054 |
| New Jersey | Millburn Township School District | 99 | 13 | 4,697 |
| New Mexico | Los Alamos Public Schools | 91 | 16 | 3,539 |
| Nevada | Douglas County School District | 91 | 16 | 5,385 |
| New York | Great Neck Public Schools | 96 | 10 | 6,831 |
| Ohio | Solon City School District | 96 | 18 | 4,521 |
| Oklahoma | Edmond Public Schools | 94 | 17 | 23,496 |
| Oregon | Lake Oswego School District | 95 | 18 | 6,860 |
| Pennsylvania | Radnor Township School District | 97 | 14 | 3,624 |
| Rhode Island | Barrington Public Schools | 94 | 15 | 3,388 |
| South Carolina | Fort Mill School District | 95 | 14 | 16,883 |
| South Dakota | Brandon Valley School District | 95 | 20 | 4,721 |
| Tennessee | Maryville City Schools | 95 | 16 | 5,441 |
| Texas | Eanes Independent School District | 99 | 15 | 7,968 |
| Utah | Northern Utah Academy for Math Engineering & Science (Nuames) | 95 | 27 | 1,135 |
| Virginia | Falls Church City Public Schools | 98 | 16 | 2,500 |
| Vermont | South Burlington School District | 91 | 22 | 2,688 |
| Washington | Mercer Island School District | 93 | 18 | 4,192 |
| Wisconsin | Elmbrook School District | 97 | 15 | 7,280 |
| West Virginia | Monongalia County Schools | 91 | 14 | 11,113 |
| Wyoming | Sheridan County School District No. 2 | 86 | 13 | 3,519 |
