Is New York A ‘Best School System’ State?

Perhaps the question hasn't ever crossed your mind, you don't have kids in the NYS school system, or don't want to have kids at all, whatever the reason....

When it comes to best school systems, when looking at a state-by-state comparison, where does New York rank?

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States With The Best School Systems

It is no surprise that private education is quite costly, so for many, public schools are the standard route. State-by-state, there are certainly discrepancies and differences when it comes to educational offerings and quality of education. For 2025, WalletHub took a look across the US, including Washington D.C. on their own, and compared school systems based on a number of different metrics. The main areas dissected (32 in total) in the study include performance funding, safety, class size, and instructor credentials.

Unfortunately, New York did not rank among the top five states for the 2025 study, but several of our neighboring states did. Those, in order, are New Hampshire at number five, Virginia at four, New Jersey at number three, Connecticut, two, and in the top spot, Massachusetts.

When looking across state lines, MA has some of the safest school systems, best test scores in the country, including AP exams. CT also excels in the safety category, showing high ACT and AP test scores as well.

SEE ALSO: New York's 'Top Dollar' Status on Child Care Costs

New York's School System Ranking

Though not in the top five, New York did rank among the top ten, sitting at number ten out of a possible total 51.

New York ranked first in the 'Existence of Digital Learning Plan' category, fifth in 'Pupil-Teacher Ratio,' and sixth in 'Median ACT Score.' New York State came in seventh for 'Quality' ranking, but number 20 when it comes to 'Safety.' Comparatively, New York's overall score of 57.71 puts them in the number ten spot as compared to number one, Massachusetts, with 74.34, and number 51, New Mexico, with a total score of 30.37.

You can take an in depth look at the comparisons, state-by-state, and what puts the top five in their respective spots by checking out the full study, here.