Reston Named America's 48th Most Educated Town

Pat yourselves on the back, Reston, because a recent study of the most educated places in America found Reston to be the entire country’s 48th most educated town.

The study was conducted by financial website Nerd Wallet using data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the following formula:

• The percentage of residents with at least a high school diploma or associate degree is 40% of the score.
• The percentage of residents with at least a bachelor’s degree is 30% of the score.
• The percentage of residents with at least a master’s degree is 10% of the score.
• The percentage of residents with a doctorate degree is 10% of the score.
• The percentage of residents with a professional degree is 10% of the score.

Based on these criteria, Reston earned a score 74.69 with more than 96 percent of its population holding a high school degree or equivalent, and 66 percent of the town holding at least a bachelor’s degree.

Reston’s South Lakes High School was also recently found to have the 26th best teaching staff in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Reston wasn’t alone among Northern Virginia towns on the list. McLean placed the highest at No. 5 overall; Arlington ranked No. 21, Oakton finished No. 31 and Alexandria was No. 86.

And on Nerd Wallet’s list of the most educated “large cities,” Arlington placed No. 1 overall with D.C. not far behind at No. 5.