The best school district in every state

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock Between parental politics, after-school programs, and PTA meetings, navigating school districts can be hard–and choosing the district that is best for your child is even harder. Stacker analyzed 2022 data from Niche to calculate the best school district in every state. Niche rankings rely on statistics from the U.S. Department of Education, SAT/ACT scores, college readiness, teacher quality, and graduation rates. Of course, ratings are one thing and experiences are another, which is why it’s always smart to research and learn about the families, teachers, and students in a given district before deciding something as important as moving based on a particular school. Various districts prioritize funding for different programs, and some have more of a knack for hiring and retaining nurturing teachers. For some districts, it seems to be a numbers game, without any thought regarding the learning environment. Still, other districts encourage kids to explore passions and make friends but are lagging academically. A top school district isn’t just one or the other; it’s a combination of factors parents must weigh when considering a new district. Keep reading to see how your district stacks up, or to help narrow your search for where you plan to move and raise a family. You may also like: How student debt has grown in every state Alabama: Madison City Schools A3pfamily // Shutterstock – Location: Madison, Alabama – Total students: 11,804 – National rank: 57 Alaska: Skagway School District Vilmos Varga // Shutterstock – Location: Skagway, Alaska – Total students: 144 – National rank: 481 Arizona: Catalina Foothills Unified School District JulieTFarbarik // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Tucson, Arizona – Total students: 5,190 – National rank: 362 Arkansas: Haas Hall Academy Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock – Location: Fayetteville, Arkansas – Total students: 1,407 – National rank: 137 California: Palo Alto Unified School District Canva – Location: Palo Alto, California – Total students: 11,395 – National rank: 9 You may also like: 25 oldest colleges in America Colorado: Cheyenne Mountain School District No. 12 Canva – Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado – Total students: 5,270 – National rank: 290 Connecticut: Westport School District barbsimages // Shutterstock – Location: Westport, Connecticut – Total students: 5,329 – National rank: 17 Delaware: Appoquinimink School District Canva – Location: Odessa, Delaware – Total students: 11,914 – National rank: 489 Florida: St. Johns County School District Michael Rivera // Wikimedia Commons – Location: St Augustine, Florida – Total students: 44,550 – National rank: 848 Georgia: Buford City Schools Thomson200 // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Buford, Georgia – Total students: 5,468 – National rank: 87 You may also like: 45 best college movies Hawaii: Monongalia County Schools Joel Bradshaw // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Morgantown, Hawaii – Total students: 11,113 – National rank: Not ranked Idaho: Troy School District Canva – Location: Troy, Idaho – Total students: 270 – National rank: 740 Illinois: Adlai E. Stevenson High School District No. 125 Canva – Location: Lincolnshire, Illinois – Total students: 4,315 – National rank: 1 Indiana: West Lafayette Community School Corporation Canva – Location: West Lafayette, Indiana – Total students: 2,316 – National rank: 8 Iowa: Pleasant Valley Community School District Canva – Location: Bettendorf, Iowa – Total students: 5,331 – National rank: 121 You may also like: 30 college majors that didn’t exist 50 years ago Kansas: Blue Valley Unified School District (Overland Park) Axarchy // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Overland Park, Kansas – Total students: 22,148 – National rank: 69 Kentucky: Murray Independent Schools Canva – Location: Murray, Kentucky – Total students: 1,783 – National rank: 263 Louisiana: Zachary Community Public Schools kite studio // Shutterstock – Location: Zachary, Louisiana – Total students: 5,444 – National rank: 306 Maine: Yarmouth Schools Pat Shrader // Shutterstock – Location: Yarmouth, Maine – Total students: 1,670 – National rank: 172 Maryland: Howard County Public Schools Wallstreethotrod // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Ellicott City, Maryland – Total students: 57,293 – National rank: 307 You may also like: Best private high school in every state Massachusetts: Weston Public Schools Canva – Location: Weston, Massachusetts – Total students: 1,906 – National rank: 23 Michigan: Novi Community School District transly // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Novi, Michigan – Total students: 6,580 – National rank: 60 Minnesota: Wayzata Public School District Canva – Location: Wayzata, Minnesota – Total students: 12,013 – National rank: 46 Mississippi: Petal School District smolaw // Shutterstock – Location: Petal, Mississippi – Total students: 4,106 – National rank: 286 Missouri: School District of Clayton Prostock-studio // Shutterstock – Location: Clayton, Missouri – Total students: 2,514 – National rank: 13 You may also like: States where high schoolers are least likely to graduate Montana: Monongalia County Schools Canva – Location: Morgantown, Montana – Total students: 11,113 – National rank: Not ranked Nebraska: Elkhorn Public Schools Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock – Location: Elkhorn, Nebraska – Total students: 10,642 – National rank: 239 Nevada: Monongalia County Schools Canva – Location: Morgantown, Nevada – Total students: 11,113 – National rank: Not ranked New Hampshire: SAU 70 lonndubh // Shutterstock – Location: Hanover, New Hampshire – Total students: 1,054 – National rank: 96 New Jersey: Millburn Township School District Canva – Location: Millburn, New Jersey – Total students: 4,697 – National rank: 29 You may also like: 2-year degrees that can earn you the most money New Mexico: Los Alamos Public Schools C4dickson // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Los Alamos, New Mexico – Total students: 3,539 – National rank: 329 New York: Great Neck Public Schools WoodysPhotos // Shutterstock – Location: Great Neck, New York – Total students: 6,831 – National rank: 3 North Carolina: Polk County Schools Canva – Location: Columbus, North Carolina – Total students: 2,154 – National rank: 399 North Dakota: Edmore School District No. 2 Canva – Location: Edmore, North Dakota – Total students: 35 – National rank: 675 Ohio: Solon City School District Canva – Location: Solon, Ohio – Total students: 4,521 – National rank: 49 You may also like: Best private colleges in America Oklahoma: Edmond Public Schools Kit Leong // Shutterstock – Location: Edmond, Oklahoma – Total students: 23,496 – National rank: 285 Oregon: West Linn-Wilsonville School District Tada Images // Shutterstock – Location: Tualatin, Oregon – Total students: 9,302 – National rank: 348 Pennsylvania: Radnor Township School District Syda Productions // Shutterstock – Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania – Total students: 3,624 – National rank: 14 Rhode Island: Barrington Public Schools 0xF8E8 // Wikimedia Commons – Location: Barrington, Rhode Island – Total students: 3,388 – National rank: 227 South Carolina: Fort Mill School District wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock – Location: Fort Mill, South Carolina – Total students: 16,883 – National rank: 235 You may also like: Most expensive colleges–and what students actually pay South Dakota: Brandon Valley School District