Wisconsin Cracks The Top Five For School System Quality

MADISON, WI — Wisconsin's public school system ranks No. 5 best in the nation, according to a new report from personal finance website WalletHub.

The state posted a total score of 60.57 points out of 100 in the analysis, which weighed 32 metrics covering academic quality and school safety.

Wisconsin ranked No. 5 in the quality category and No. 18 for safety.

WalletHub placed Wisconsin among states delivering a strong school system without high spending, grouping it in a "low spending and strong school system" category with Minnesota, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Nebraska, Tennessee and Utah.

Massachusetts led the overall rankings, followed by Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire and then Wisconsin at No. 5. New Mexico ranked last overall at No. 51, with Alaska, Oklahoma, Oregon and West Virginia rounding out the bottom five.

New Mexico also posted the lowest math test scores nationally, while the District of Columbia had the highest dropout rate among all states and D.C.

WalletHub says the rankings are based on data collected as of June 22, 2026, from sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Department of Education and the National Center for Education Statistics.

Check out the full study here.