West Coast states rank among the worst school systems in the US — where California stacks up nationally

Wet Coast public schools have been sent toward the back of the class in a sweeping new ranking of education systems across the country.

The Golden State placed 31st among all 50 states plus Washington, DC, in WalletHub’s 2026 ranking of the nation’s best and worst school systems — trailing Pacific Northwest neighbor Washington, but finishing well ahead of dismal Oregon.

California earned an overall score of 50.27 out of 100 after WalletHub compared school systems across 32 measures of quality and safety.

The state ranked 29th for educational quality and a less-impressive 36th for safety.

California’s schools notched several standout marks, including the nation’s second lowest share of high school students who reported being threatened or injured on campus and a tie for the third-highest median ACT score.

But the state landed dead last for its pupil-to-student ratio, according to the study.

The results painted a largely grim picture for the West Coast.

Washington performed best among the three contiguous Pacific states, but still landed in the bottom half of the ranking at No. 28 overall. The Evergreen State ranked 28th for quality and a much stronger seventh for safety.

Oregon, meanwhile, received one of the country’s worst report cards, placing 48th overall with a score of just 40.10. It ranked 47th for quality and 45th for safety, beating out only Oklahoma, Alaska and New Mexico in the overall standings.

California’s ranking also put its school system just one spot ahead of Texas, which scored 50.22, but behind the Nation’s capital and North Carolina.

Massachusetts claimed the title of America’s best school system, earned a score of 74.74 and ranking first for quality and second for safety.

The Spirit of America boasted the country’s highest fourth- and eight-grade math and reading scores, along with the largest share of students earned a score of at least 3 on an AP exam, WalletHub found.

Connecticut placed second overall, followed by New Jersey, New Hampshire and Wisconsin.

At the opposite end of the rankings, New Mexico finished last with a score of 29.96. Alaska was second-worst, followed by Oklahoma, Oregon and West Virginia.

The 10 best school systems in the US

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

The 10 worst school systems in the US

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

WalletHub said its analysis was designed to go beyond funding and academic results by also considering class sizes, teacher credentials, graduation and dropout rates, test scores, bullying, campus violence and students’ access to illegal drugs.

Quality accounted for 80% of each state’s final score, while safety made up the remaining 20%.
“Getting enough funding is essential for a productive school system, but simply having more money doesn’t guarantee success,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said.

“How funds are applied also plays a big role in how good a school system is, as does the quality of educators, other professionals and the curriculum,” he added. “In addition, schools need to focus not just on test scores but also on making sure that students feel safe, comfortable and cared for.”

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