West Coast states rank among the worst school systems in the US where California stacks up nationally

Wet Coast public schools have been sent toward the back of the class in a sweeping new ranking of education systems across the country.The Golden State placed 31st among all 50 states plus Washington, DC, in WalletHub’s 2026 ranking of the nation’s best and worst school systems — trailing Pacific Northwest neighbor Washington, but finishing well ahead of dismal Oregon.California earned an overall score of 50.27 out of 100 after WalletHub compared school systems across 32 measures of quality and safety.The state ranked 29th for educational quality and a less-impressive 36th for safety.California’s schools notched several standout marks, including the nation’s second lowest share of high school students who reported being threatened or injured on campus and a tie for the third-highest median ACT score.But the state landed dead last for its pupil-to-student ratio, according to the study.California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.

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Never miss a story The results painted a largely grim picture for the West Coast.Washington performed best among the three contiguous Pacific states, but still landed in the bottom half of the ranking at No.28 overall.

The Evergreen State ranked 28th for quality and a much stronger seventh for safety.Oregon, meanwhile, received one of the country’s worst report cards, placing 48th overall with a score of just 40.10.It ranked 47th for quality and 45th for safety, beating out only Oklahoma, Alaska and New Mexico in the overall standings.California’s ranking also put its school system just one spot ahead of Texas, which scored 50.22, but behind the Nation’s capital and North Carolina.Massachusetts claimed the title of America’s best school system, earned a score of 74.74 and ranking first for quality and second for safety.The Spirit of...