The Mount Rushmore State is no slouch when it comes to public school education, placing in the top 20 in both college readiness and NAEP math scores in U.S. News & World Report’s ranking of the fifty states in Pre-K-12 education. South Dakota’s finest school districts compare favorably with the best in the nation.

The state’s top school district is comprised of one school, Chester Area School in Chester, SD with elementary, middle, and high school branches. According to Niche.com, a remarkable 95% of the elementary school students are proficient in mathematics.

Number two in the ranking is Parker School District, another one school district located in Parker, SD. The district is the only school district in South Dakota to receive the Distinguished School District award for seven straight years, and Parker Elementary earned the National Blue Ribbon Award in 2012.

Warner School District, a small but excellent school district serving the town that lends it its name comes in at #3.

At #4 is Groton Area School District, comprising one elementary school and one combined middle school/high school in Groton, SD. Groton’s two schools regularly deliver a high level of academic excellence, with Groton Area Elementary taking home the National Blue Ribbon School Award in 2012.

Closing out the top five is Harrisburg School District, larger than the preceding districts on the list with six elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school serving Lincoln County, SD.

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?

The Volunteer State is exceptionally good at sending kids out into the world with a satisfactory education: U.S. News & World Report ranked Tennessee 9th in the nation in graduation rate in their most latest survey.

Tennessee’s best public school district is Williamson County Schools, a large district comprising 44 schools serving Williamson County, TN. WCS is one of the fastest growing in the state, and plans to open three more schools for the upcoming 2018-2019 school year. The expansion hasn’t hurt the district’s academic performance any, as the WCS’s 2017 graduating classes’ ACT composite score of 25.2 is the highest in the district’s history.

At #2 is Maryville City Schools, comprising seven schools serving Maryville, TN. In 2017, the district managed a remarkable graduation rate of 94.3%, with 90% of graduating students going on to some form of secondary education.

Johnson City Schools, a district made of up of eight elementaries, two intermediate/middle schools and one high school, comes in third place.The district’s students’ ACT and SAT scores consistently exceed state and national averages, perhaps owing to the high qualifications of JCS’s teachers, 20 of which have received National Board Certification.

Gibson Special Schools, a well rated district based in Dyer, TN, ranks #4, followed by Rutherford County Schools (#5) of Murfreesboro, TN, a large school district that received AdvancED accreditation in 2010.

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?

With its stark desert beauty, friendly, well-educated residents, expanding economy, and myriad opportunities for outdoor recreation, more and more Americans are migrating to Utah, and they’re bringing their children with them; the state’s public school enrollment exceeded 650K for the first time in 2017. Luckily for them, the Beehive State has plenty of excellent school districts to choose from.

Cache County School District is the state’s best public school system. Comprising 16 elementary schools, 6 middle schools, 4 high schools and 1 special school, Cache County leads the state in both language arts and math proficiencies, as well as earning the highest scores on the 2016 SAGE tests.

Utah’s #2 public school district is Park City School District, located in the mountain town of Park City, UT. Long recognized as one of the state’s best school districts, PCSD has achieved a 95% graduation rate, 10 points above the Utah average and in the top 1% in the U.S., overall.

Ranking #3 is Morgan County School District, a smaller district of two elementaries, one middle school and one high school. According to Niche.com, the district boasts a graduation rate of 92%.

At #4 is South Summit School District based in Kamas, UT. The district is growing fast and hopes to build a new high school. Located 42 miles east of downtown Salt Lake City, the town is known as the “Gateway to the Uintas.”

The fifth best school district in Utah is the Alpine School District , the largest school district in the state with 86 total schools and over 75,000 students enrolled.

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?

Vermont, with its tranquil lakes, impressive mountains, and dense forests, is a great place for children to learn about and experience the natural world, and the New England state’s school system certainly picks up the slack; it was rated #4 in the nation in Pre-K-12 education by U.S. News & World Report.

Vermont’s best public school system is South Burlington School District, comprising five schools in the state’s second largest city and headquarters of the Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Company. The district’s schools excel in academics, performing above the state and national averages in standardized tests.

Rivendell Interstate School District, one of the few interstate school districts in the nation, serving three towns in Vermont and one New Hampshire town, ranks #2 on the list.

At #3 is Colchester School District, administering five schools in Colchester, VT, a suburb of Burlington. CSD is known for its vibrant music and art programs and excellent physical education program.

Placing fourth is Montpelier School District, comprising three schools serving Montpelier and parts of several other towns. U.S. News & World Report honored Montpelier High School with a silver medal, naming it the 2nd best within the entire state.

Closing out the list of Vermont’s top five best school districts is Hartford School District. The district’s six schools have been repeatedly recognized for their academic excellence, performing above the national average in standardized test scores.

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?

As the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents and carrying a long history of its sons and daughters leaving school to serve in the federal government, Virginia’s public school systems are held to a high standard of academic excellence. Luckily, the state boasts some of the finest public school divisions (the term used to denote subsections of schools in Virginia, rather than “school district”) in the country.

Virginia’s top school division is Falls Church City Public Schools, administering five schools serving the Washington, D.C. suburb. FCCPS has an excellent, well earned reputation for academic excellence, recently boasting an on-time graduation rate of 100% and SAT scores over 200 points higher than the state average.

At #2 we have Arlington Public Schools, a large school division of over 30 schools and an enrollment topping 25K serving Arlington County, VA, which sits across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. Students of this affluent county are known for their diversity, hailing from 122 nations and able to speak over 100 languages.

Ranking third is Loudoun Public Schools, a massive school division with enrollment topping 80K headquartered in Ashburn, VA. 2017 witnessed 40 LCPS students becoming National Merit Semifinalists.

Fairfax County Public Schools, the largest school division in the country, boasting an enrollment of over 180,000, ranks #4.

York County School Division, a modestly sized (for Virginia), yet high-performing school division, is #5. At 95.4%, YCSD’s 2017 graduation rate was over 4 points above Virginia’s already excellent statewide average.

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?

The Evergreen State is home to some of the most interesting and varied ecosystems in the United States: ice-capped mountain ranges, jagged, rocky coastline, temperate rainforests in the west and flat, arid basin in the east, as well as the largest and most unique city in the region, Seattle. Along with this interesting environment which grows and fosters creativity in the state’s youth, Washington is also home to numerous high performing public school districts serving the state’s children.

Washington’s best public school system is the Mercer Island School District, comprising six schools and one learning center located in the affluent suburb of Seattle that lends the district its name. Students of the district make good on excellent funding--with over $2 million dollars contributed by the school’s PTA--by maintaining a graduation rate of 95%.

Lake Washington School District, based in King County, WA, ranks #2. A large district administering over 50 schools, LWSD students perform excellently on standardized tests, with SAT scores 76 points higher than the national average.

At #3 is Snoqualmie Valley School District, one of the largest districts in the state covering over 400 square miles in King County, WA. Academic achievement in the district continues to improve, with Snoqualmie Valley becoming the only district in the state to be named on the AP Honor Roll for six straight years from 2010 through 2015.

Completing the top five are Bellevue School District (#4), another large, high performing King County school district, and Camas School District, comprising 10 schools serving Clark County, WA.

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?

West Virginia, known for its mining and logging industries, thick forests and dazzling karst formations, also has some educational achievements to its credit: The Mountain State ranks 18th in the nation in high school graduation rate, according to U.S. News & World Report. Unlike many states, all of West Virginia’s public school districts are divided exactly by the counties in which they are based.

Putnam County Schools is West Virginia’s best public school district. Putnam County stands tall among all of the state’s school systems, with numerous achievements under its belt, including being number one in the state in school attendance, and outperforming state averages in all standardized tests.

At #2 is Monongalia County Schools, comprising 10 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, and 3 high schools serving its namesake county. Recognizing its excellence, U.S. News honored Morgantown High School with a silver medal, naming it the best high school in the state.

Placing third is Ohio County Schools, administering 13 schools in Ohio County, WV. As an indication of the district’s quality, Niche.com named it both the best place to teach in West Virginia, as well as the district with the best teachers in the state.

Closing out the list of West Virginia’s top five public school districts is Jefferson County Public Schools (#4), serving the state’s easternmost county, and Harrison County Schools (#5), one of the larger districts in the state with 25 schools.

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?

The Cowboy State is home to some of the most stunning mountain ranges in the continental United States, two of the most widely visiting national parks (Yellowstone and Grand Teton), and public school districts boasting some of the nation’s highest testing students: Wyoming ranks 11th in the nation in both NAEP reading and math scores according to U.S. News & World Report.

Wyoming’s best school district is Sheridan County School District #2, comprising six elementary schools, one junior high, one high school, and two alternative schools serving Sheridan, WY. The district’s students perform excellently in academics, leading the state among large districts in both reading and math.

Ranking #2 in Wyoming is Sublette County School District #1, a small system of four schools serving several communities in its namesake county. As proof of the district’s high level of achievement, Pinedale High School was awarded a bronze medal by U.S. News & World Report, signifying its status as one of the nation’s best public high schools.

Uinta County School District #6 ranks third among Wyoming’s school districts. According to Niche.com, the district boasts an impressive graduation rate of 85%.

At #4 is Niobrara County School District #1, comprising four schools serving the totality of Niobrara County and part of Goshen County, followed by Lincoln County School District #2 (#5), whose schools are all accredited by AdvancED and the State of Wyoming.

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?