Expand / Collapse search
☰

School systems in US, Wisconsin ranks among nation's best

By
FOX6 News Milwaukee
Education
Published July 21, 2026 5:42 AM CDT
Published July 21, 2026 5:42 AM CDT

The Brief

    • Wisconsin ranked among the Top 5 states with the best school systems in the nation, according to a new WalletHub report.
    • New Mexico has the worst school system based on WalletHub's findings.
    • States were ranked by researchers using key data points including quality and safety.

MILWAUKEE - When looking for the right school, it helps to have options, and a new report ranked Wisconsin as one of the best states in the nation when it comes to finding a quality public school education.

Which states have the best, worst school systems?

By the numbers:

WalletHub created its ranking of best and worst states – as well as Washington, D.C. – using two key criteria, "quality" and "safety." These categories were measured using 32 metrics which were graded on a 100-point scale, with a perfect score representing the highest quality of public K–12 education. 

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android

"Quality" looked at things like dropout rate, math test scores and pupil-teacher ratio. "Safety" considered things like digital learning plans, disciplinary incidence rates and school safety plans.

Best school systems in the U.S. 

  1. Massachusetts
  2. Connecticut
  3. New Jersey
  4. New Hampshire
  5. Wisconsin
  6. Virginia
  7. Vermont
  8. New York
  9. Rhode Island
  10. North Dakota

Worst school systems in the U.S.

  1. New Mexico
  2. Alaska
  3. Oklahoma
  4. Oregon
  5. West Virginia
  6. Arizona
  7. Nevada
  8. Louisiana
  9. Alabama
  10. Hawaii

See the complete list of rankings here. 

How did Wisconsin fare?

Local perspective:

Wisconsin ranked fifth in quality and 18th in safety, according to WalletHub's report, to come in at No. 5 overall. The state also ranked tied for fourth in median SAT score.

For comparison around the Midwest:

  • No. 21 Iowa (23rd in quality, 22nd in safety)
  • No. 23 Minnesota (18th in quality, 32nd in safety)
  • No. 24 Illinois (19th in quality, 28th in safety)
  • No. 33 Michigan (37th in quality, 24th in safety)

The Source: Information in this story is from WalletHub's report, which ranked the best and worst states for school systems by comparing 50 states and Washington, D.C. across key metrics on a 100-point scale, and LiveNOW from FOX.

EducationNewsWisconsin