Students in Arizona not only get to enjoy year-round warm weather (making for great recess periods), but are also afforded an excellent education. You might imagine that the top school districts in the state would all be based within the Phoenix metropolitan area, however, among the top ten there is a balanced distribution representing several regions of the state.

Of the ten highest ranked school districts in Arizona, three are located in Pima County (whose county seat, Tucson, is the state’s second largest city), five are within the Greater Phoenix Area, and two are based in Apache County located in the northeastern portion of the state. Gilbert, a fast growing city of over 200,000 in the Phoenix area, owns the distinction of being home to two districts in the top ten.

Arizona’s best school district is Gilbert Unified Public School District, serving the aforementioned city of Gilbert in Maricopa County. 11 of GUSD’s 27 elementary schools, 6 junior highs, and five high schools have been named A+ Schools of Excellence by the Arizona Educational Foundation.

Second in the ranking is Dysart Unified School District, which serves parts of several cities in the Northwest Phoenix Metro area. The nationally recognized district regularly exceeds averages in graduation rate and standardized testing.

We move south to a suburban community of Tucson for third-ranked Tanque Verde Unified School District, whose sole high school--Tanque Verde High School--was featured in US News and World Report’s 2017 Best High Schools in America list.

#4 St. Johns Unified School District and #5 Round Valley Unified School District are two fine districts serving parts of Apache County, home to more Indian reservation land than any other U.S. county.

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?

Balmy, geographically diverse Georgia has many excellent school districts to support its rapidly growing population. Like Florida, its neighbor to the south, Georgia school districts are mainly comprised of all the schools within a particular county, resulting in large districts with high enrollment figures and hundreds of teachers.

Georgia’s best school district is Forsyth County Schools, located in Cumming, GA. Totaling 36 schools in all, the district is the largest employer in the county, with a surplus of 4000 full-time employees and 1500 part-time substitutes. FCS’s academic achievements are considerable: the district boasts the highest SAT score, financial efficiency rating, and the highest graduation rate in metro-Atlanta.

Second ranked Jefferson City School District, serving Jefferson and other communities in Jackson County, is a comparatively smaller district, yet its Jefferson High School ranked in the top three statewide in student achievement.

City Schools of Decatur places third in the list. A charter school district of nine total schools; CSD students regularly achieve above average marks on standardized tests at all levels.

Fourth place Oconee County School District has achieved a number of accolades in recent years, including being one of just three systems in Georgia to receive a 5/5 financial efficiency rating.

Closing out the top five is the Fayette County School System, a large system comprised of 27 schools and several specialized learning centers.

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?

Many prominent Americans--including Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, decorated U.S. General Wesley Clark, and legendary country music singer Johnny Cash--were all educated within Arkansas school systems. Knowing the accomplishments of some its most notable graduates, it should be no surprise that Arkansas boasts a large number of excellent school systems.

Arkansas’ top 10 school districts are widely distributed throughout the state. In all, seven counties are represented, with Benton County, Washington County, and Saline County each having two districts place in the top 10.

The top school district in Arkansas is Bentonville School District, serving Bentonville and parts of several other surrounding communities. Bentonville School District is one of the fast growing districts in the state, and it plans to add 6 more schools to its current total of 21 within the next ten years.

Valley View School District in Jonesboro ranks second. Its junior high was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2015 and its high school’s sports programs regularly take home state championships.

Third place, Farmington School District, is another excellent school system; recognized for its academic excellence.

Completing the top five are Benton School District (#4), which is accredited by the Arkansas Department of Education, and Greenwood School District, founded all the way back in 1881.

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?

Delaware may be the second smallest state in the nation, as well as the second least populous, but it is home to an inordinate number of excellent school districts serving its affluent populace.

Each of Delaware’s three counties is represented in the list of the state’s top ten best school districts, with New Castle-based districts accounting for five, Sussex districts totaling three, and two based in Kent.

The exquisitely-named Appoquinimink School District ranks as Delaware’s best, overall. The fast growing district adds schools at the rate some districts add students, with ten opened since 2000. Despite its rapid expansion, Appoquinimink maintains one of the best academic records in the state.

Delaware’s second best school district is the Cape Henlopen School District in Lewes, a city on the Delaware Bay in Sussex County. The district boasts the highest percentage of students to reach the college readiness standard on the SATs in the state.

Ranking third is Caesar Rodney School District, a high achieving school district based in Wyoming, Delaware that’s named after a Revolution-era politician and signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Indian River School District places fourth. One of the largest public school districts in Delaware, IRSD serves the southeastern region of Sussex County.

Fifth place Lake Forest School District is based in Kent County and is composed of four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school.

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 over 39 million residents, California is the most populated U.S. state by a wide margin. Unsurprisingly, it also has the largest public school system in the country, with over 6 million students enrolled in more than 10,000 schools statewide. These schools employ over 260,000 teachers, 60,000 more than the entire population of the nation of Samoa.

Considering its booming economy and leading in the entertainment and technology industries, it’s no surprise that California boasts a huge number of excellent public school districts. SoCal-based school districts dominate the top 10, with Los Angeles County districts comprising four on the list, along with one in nearby Orange County. The top 10 is filled out by four bay area districts and one based in Joaquin Valley.

Top ranked Palo Alto Unified School District’s twelve primary schools, three middle schools and two high schools are all located nearby Stanford University, and no doubt benefit from their proximity to one ot the nation’s most prestigious universities. Palo Alto Senior High has been recognized for its academic excellence by Newsweek and other national publications.

Second-ranked Liberty Elementary School District in Tulare County consists of just one school, but it’s a good one. Just behind it is Hermosa Beach City School District (#3), made up of two elementary schools and one middle school that have received the National Blue Ribbon School Award for academic achievement.

California’s top five is rounded out by two great districts. Fourth place Piedmont Unified benefits from a generous amount of funding supplied by a parcel tax paid by the city’s residents, while San Marino Unified was ranked #1 Unified School District in the state by the State of California in 2017.

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?

Alabama has a wealth of excellent school districts, the best of which serve suburbs of the state’s largest cities. Of Alabama’s top ten school districts, five represent suburbs of the state’s most populous city, Birmingham, while three others are located near Huntsville, Alabama’s third largest city.

The Cotton State’s best school district is the Mountain Brook School System, serving Mountain Brook, a suburb of Birmingham and one of the most well-to-do towns in the state. Encompassing four K-6 elementary schools, one junior high school, and one high school, the Mountain Brook School system has been repeatedly recognized for its excellence over the years, most recently being named a 2016 Distinguished District by the International Society for Technology in Education.

Vestavia Hills City School System, representing Vestavia Hills, another affluent suburb of Birmingham, ranks second on the list. The school district regularly exceeds standardized test proficiency standards and boasts a 95% graduation rate.

At #3 is the Homewood City School District, serving the Birmingham suburb, Homewood. A smaller district of three elementary schools , one middle school, and one high school, Homewood City School’s mission statement is “to educate and empower all students to maximize their unique potential.”

Fourth on the list is Madison City Schools based in Madison, a suburb of Huntsville. The district recently expanded, opening the brand new James Clemens High School in 2012.

Rounding out the top five is the Cullman City Board of Education, known as the first district in the state to enact a 1:1 Laptop Initiative, supplying all of its middle school and high school students with a laptop for educational use.

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 one of the first 13 U.S. colonies, and the home of Independence Hall, where both the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were drafted, Pennsylvania has a long running legacy of direct involvement in American politic events. Today, the state ranks 11th in the nation in Pre-K-12 education, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Pennsylvania’s best school district is South Fayette Township School District, a small system of four schools serving the Pittsburgh suburb that lends it its name. The district has consistently exceeded statewide expectations of academic achievement, indicated by the high test scores achieved in all of South Fayette’s schools.

Unionville-Chadds Ford School District, serving parts of Chester and Delaware Counties, ranks #2. UCFSD’s achievements are remarkable; its students consistently test in the top 1% of Pennsylvania, and the graduation rate nears 100%.

Third in the ranking is Lower Merion School District of Montgomery County, PA. One of the wealthiest districts in both the state and country, overall, LMSD takes advantage of its generous funding by performing well in every academic measure.

Radnor Township School District ranks #4. The district has a reputation for academic excellence, with graduation rates regularly topping 98%.

Closing out Pennsylvania’s top five schools is Upper Dublin School District, a system of six schools that was the first in the state to receive K-12 paradigmatic accreditation through the Middle States Association of Colleges and 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?