The nation’s smallest state performs excellently in public education, ranking #9 nationwide in Pre-K-12 education based on the most recent survey by U.S. News & World Report. Many excellent school districts are based within Rhode Island’s modest borders.

Rhode Island’s best district is Barrington Public Schools, a system of six schools based in the suburban community of Barrington, RI. All of Barrington’s schools rank among the best in the state, and Barrington High School was awarded a gold medal by U.S. News & World Report, placing it with the best public high schools in the nation.

Ranking #2 in Rhode Island is East Greenwich School District, comprising four elementaries, one middle school, and one high school. East Greenwich High School was the only high school in the state to be ranked in the top 500 in Newsweek’s 2016 ranking of the nation’s best high schools.

Third on the list is South Kingston School District, a system of nine schools located in Wakefield, RI. The district’s Peace Dale Elementary School received a National Blue Ribbon Award in 2016 through the U.S. Department of Education, the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a school in the country.

#4 Narragansett School System is a district comprising one elementary school, middle school and one high school. Every school in the district meets or exceeds state proficiency standards in reading and mathematics.

Rounding out Rhode Island’s top five is Chariho Regional School District, a high performing system of schools serving Charlestown, Richmond, and Hopkinton, RI.

Methodology

The following contributed to the ranking: student performance (math and reading test scores), dropout rates, school funding, and area poverty rates. Data was collected from a total of 9,577 school districts.

Did your district make the list?