Connecticut’s public school system ranked second-best in the nation, according to a recent WalletHub study that evaluated school systems across all 50 states.
In what WalletHub described as a “comprehensive” approach, its study accounted for school performance, funding, safety, class size and instructor credentials.
In earning its second-place rating, WalletHub said, Connecticut reported high ACT test scores, ranking second-best in the nation. More than 6% of Connecticut public schools ranked in the top 700 nationwide, while the state also recorded the third-highest measure of students who passed AP exams.
WalletHub looked at public schools ranked among the country’s best, including the top schools compiled by U.S. News and World Report and Blue Ribbon schools per capita. The list also considered high school graduation rates among low-income students and projected future graduation rates; test scores including math, reading, SATs, the ACT, and AP tests; and a state’s share of licensed public grade school teachers.
Other metrics included school safety, rates of bullying and violence rates, among others. Connecticut ranked sixth place in school safety, according to the report.
The state also recorded strong results for a top-ten pupil-to-teacher ratio. WalletHub lauded its having the lowest rate of illegal drugs found on school property in the nation and its requirement that school safety is regularly audited. The website also recognized Connecticut’s low instances of youth incarceration and students carrying weapons on school property.
In a secondary measure of system effectiveness, Connecticut was lauded as one of 16 states where investments in education correlated to strong school results. Others, including Wisconsin, Nebraska and Wyoming, were docked for having high spending rates without reaching the top 15 in performance.
Connecticut students also had the fifth-highest reading test scores in the nation, and the state was one of only five states scoring at least a 60 out of 100 in the publication’s metrics.
New Jersey, Virginia and New Hampshire rounded out the top 5; New Mexico, Oklahoma, Alaska, Arizona and Oregon filled out the bottom five in the publication’s rankings.
