Many know Wyoming as a rugged, expansive natural playground, sparsely populated and home to a number of vast, beautiful state and national parks. Yet, few are aware that the Cowboy State is one of the best in the nation for education, with well-funded schools characterized by high performance in academics and standardized testing. Here’s a look at Wyoming’s five best school districts. 

Albany County School District #1 is the best public school system in Wyoming. Comprising fifteen schools with an enrollment of over 4,000 in the southeastern part of the state, ACSD#1 boasts a math proficiency rate higher than state and national averages, and 105 students of the graduating class of 2018 received the Hathaway Scholarship. 

Wyoming’s 2nd best school district is Sheridan County School District #2, made up of ten high-performing schools with a considerable list of accolades, including a remarkable eight National Blue Ribbon Award honors.

Placing 3rd is Park County School District #16, a single-school district based in Meeteetse with an enrollment of 121. Students of the district graduate at a rate of 92.3% and over 70% are proficient in mathematics.    

Natrona County School District earns Wyoming’s #4 spot. An expansive district based in the city of Caspar and serving around 13,000 students, NCSD is the largest employer in Natrona County and plays a central role in the lives of many of its residents.

Top School Districts in Wyoming, 2020

Methodology

The following variables contributed to the ranking: number of students (K-12), graduation rate, school funding per student, student to teacher ratio, percent of students scoring above proficient in standardized state Math test, percent of students scoring above proficient in standardized state Reading and Language test. Data from a total of 10,247 public school districts were used to compute a score for each school district. The following states were omitted due to lack of sufficient data: Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Utah, and Virginia. Note that high schools in some states have their own independent districts.