California ranks among the top 10 states in the nation for public education, according to a new report.
The Golden State ranked No. 7 in ConsumerAffairs' analysis of the nation's public education systems. The report evaluated states across four dimensions: K-12 academic outcomes, school funding and resources, higher education, and school safety.
Here's why California cracked the top 10.
What report found for California
Ella Gomes, media relations specialist with ConsumerAffairs, said one of the primary factors driving California's high ranking is "the state's strong performance in public higher education."
"Public colleges are actually more affordable for California students than in many areas of the country, and the average tuition at a two-year in-district public college in California is the lowest
in the country, at $1,436," Gomes said.
In addition, Gomes said, California students get an average of $1,910 in grant aid per student, which is the 10th-highest amount in the country.
"On top of that, a very high percentage of California college students are completing their higher education," Gomes said.
According to the report, the state had the sixth-highest graduation rate for four-year public colleges at 70.3% and the 14th-highest rate for two-year public colleges at 46.3%.
Gomes said it's also worth noting that California "invests more in its teachers and students compared to most states."
"The Golden State has an average teacher salary of $103,552, which is the highest in our report," Gomes said.
On top of that, the state spends about $22,355 in expenditures per K-12 student, which is higher than the national average of $19,393, Gomes said.
"Unfortunately, California struggles the most when it comes to school safety, where it ranks No. 29," Gomes said.
ConsumerAffairs' report found that there are about 25 criminal offenses reported at California colleges per 10,000 students, which is the 10th highest rate in the nation.
"That being said, California does have the 13th-lowest rate of gun violence incidents at schools per 100,000 K-12 and college students, with 0.8 incidents," Gomes said.
Here's a full breakdown of California's ranking from ConsumerAffairs:
California ranks low in separate education report
In a separate recent report, California ranked No. 31 in WalletHub's States with the Best & Worst School Systems study.
The report, however, evaluated only K-12 school systems across 32 measures of quality and safety and did not include higher education in its analysis.
In the WalletHub report, California ranked highly in some areas, including first for having a digital learning plan, second in the percentage of threatened or injured high school students, and third in median ACT scores.
The state also ranked last in pupil-to-teacher ratio, 40th in math test scores, and 39th in bullying incident rate.
Best states for public education, according to report
Here are the top 10 states for public education, along with their overall scores, according to ConsumerAffairs’ analysis.
- No. 1: Massachusetts (68.98)
- No. 2: New York (67.37)
- No. 3: Connecticut (64.40)
- No. 4: New Jersey (63.73)
- No. 5: Washington (61.04)
- No. 6: Wyoming (60.23)
- No. 7: California (58.89)
- No. 8: Illinois (58.58)
- No. 9: Virginia (57.23)
- No. 10: Wisconsin (53.52)
Worst states for public education, per report
Here are the bottom 10 states for public education, along with their overall scores, according to ConsumerAffairs’ analysis.
- No. 50: Arizona (27.93)
- No. 49: Alaska (34.95)
- No. 48: Idaho (37.10)
- No. 47: Louisiana (38.16)
- No. 46: New Mexico (38.81)
- No. 45: Oklahoma (39.09)
- No. 44: Nevada (39.58)
- No. 43: Michigan (40.52)
- No. 42: West Virginia (41.35)
- No. 41: Ohio (41.46)
Report’s methodology
To determine which states had the best public education systems, ConsumerAffairs said it compared the 50 states across four dimensions: K 12 academic outcomes, school funding and resources, higher education, and school safety.
Instead of solely measuring academic achievement, the analysis also delved into other aspects of public education, such as student outcomes, college affordability and completion, school resources, and school safety.
“Because this is a composite ranking, a state's overall position may differ from its ranking in any individual category,” ConsumerAffairs noted.
Factors for K-12 academic outcomes included public high school four-year graduation rates, average SAT and ACT scores, and average NAEP reading and math scores for fourth- and eighth-grade students. For higher education, ConsumerAffairs evaluated factors including four-year public college graduation rates within 150% of normal time, two-year public college graduation rates within 150% of normal time, public college retention rates, average in-state tuition and fees, and state and local funding per full-time college student. Finally, for school safety, ConsumerAffairs included the following factors: gun violence incidents at schools per 100,000 K-12 and college students and reported criminal offenses at colleges per 100,000 students.
ConsumerAffairs took those factors to create a possible 100-point score, with 100 representing the best state for public education.
USA TODAY NETWORK reporter Ernesto Centeno Araujo contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: California ranks among top 10 states for public education, report says
