The best school district in every state
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
The best school district in every state
Kids boarding a school bus.
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.
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Alabama: Madison City Schools
A girl running with a backpack.
– Location: Madison, Alabama
– Total students: 11,804
– National rank: 57
Vilmos Varga // Shutterstock
Alaska: Skagway School District
A school bus driving over a bridge with mountains in the background.
– Location: Skagway, Alaska
– Total students: 144
– National rank: 481
JulieTFarbarik // Wikimedia Commons
Arizona: Catalina Foothills Unified School District
A school in a desert landscape.
– Location: Tucson, Arizona
– Total students: 5,190
– National rank: 362
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Arkansas: Haas Hall Academy
A classroom of older kids learning.
– Location: Fayetteville, Arkansas
– Total students: 1,407
– National rank: 137
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California: Palo Alto Unified School District
A boy with red hair boarding a school bus.
– Location: Palo Alto, California
– Total students: 11,395
– National rank: 9
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Colorado: Cheyenne Mountain School District No. 12
A school bus driving through the mountains.
– Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
– Total students: 5,270
– National rank: 290
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Connecticut: Westport School District
Girls playing soccer.
– Location: Westport, Connecticut
– Total students: 5,329
– National rank: 17
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Delaware: Appoquinimink School District
Kids running up to a school.
– Location: Odessa, Delaware
– Total students: 11,914
– National rank: 489
Michael Rivera // Wikimedia Commons
Florida: St. Johns County School District
The brick building of St. Johns School.
– Location: St Augustine, Florida
– Total students: 44,550
– National rank: 848
Thomson200 // Wikimedia Commons
Georgia: Buford City Schools
A school with two flags on a big green lawn in front.
– Location: Buford, Georgia
– Total students: 5,468
– National rank: 87
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Joel Bradshaw // Wikimedia Commons
Hawaii: Monongalia County Schools
A white school building with a statue in front.
– Location: Morgantown, Hawaii
– Total students: 11,113
– National rank: Not ranked
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Idaho: Troy School District
Kids working on drawing at a table in school.
– Location: Troy, Idaho
– Total students: 270
– National rank: 740
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Illinois: Adlai E. Stevenson High School District No. 125
High school students taking a test.
– Location: Lincolnshire, Illinois
– Total students: 4,315
– National rank: 1
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Indiana: West Lafayette Community School Corporation
Kids exiting a school bus.
– Location: West Lafayette, Indiana
– Total students: 2,316
– National rank: 8
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Iowa: Pleasant Valley Community School District
Two kids writing at a long table together.
– Location: Bettendorf, Iowa
– Total students: 5,331
– National rank: 121
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Kansas: Blue Valley Unified School District (Overland Park)
Blue Valley brick high school.
– Location: Overland Park, Kansas
– Total students: 22,148
– National rank: 69
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Kentucky: Murray Independent Schools
Elementary kids getting off a school bus in a line and going into school.
– Location: Murray, Kentucky
– Total students: 1,783
– National rank: 263
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Louisiana: Zachary Community Public Schools
A classroom of school chair desks.
– Location: Zachary, Louisiana
– Total students: 5,444
– National rank: 306
Pat Shrader // Shutterstock
Maine: Yarmouth Schools
A school bus inside with empty blue seats.
– Location: Yarmouth, Maine
– Total students: 1,670
– National rank: 172
Wallstreethotrod // Wikimedia Commons
Maryland: Howard County Public Schools
A long brick school.
– Location: Ellicott City, Maryland
– Total students: 57,293
– National rank: 307
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Massachusetts: Weston Public Schools
An elementary school library book cart.
– Location: Weston, Massachusetts
– Total students: 1,906
– National rank: 23
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Michigan: Novi Community School District
A green Novi High School sign.
– Location: Novi, Michigan
– Total students: 6,580
– National rank: 60
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Minnesota: Wayzata Public School District
A school gymnasium.
– Location: Wayzata, Minnesota
– Total students: 12,013
– National rank: 46
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Mississippi: Petal School District
A light wood desk.
– Location: Petal, Mississippi
– Total students: 4,106
– National rank: 286
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Missouri: School District of Clayton
High school students sitting together smiling.
– Location: Clayton, Missouri
– Total students: 2,514
– National rank: 13
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Montana: Monongalia County Schools
Elementary kids looking at books with a teacher in the library.
– Location: Morgantown, Montana
– Total students: 11,113
– National rank: Not ranked
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Nebraska: Elkhorn Public Schools
A middle school girl with braces sitting at a desk.
– Location: Elkhorn, Nebraska
– Total students: 10,642
– National rank: 239
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Nevada: Monongalia County Schools
A colorful playground.
– Location: Morgantown, Nevada
– Total students: 11,113
– National rank: Not ranked
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New Hampshire: SAU 70
A chair back in a classroom.
– Location: Hanover, New Hampshire
– Total students: 1,054
– National rank: 96
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New Jersey: Millburn Township School District
High school students walking down the hallway.
– Location: Millburn, New Jersey
– Total students: 4,697
– National rank: 29
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C4dickson // Wikimedia Commons
New Mexico: Los Alamos Public Schools
A gray school with a green Los Alamos sign in front.
– Location: Los Alamos, New Mexico
– Total students: 3,539
– National rank: 329
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New York: Great Neck Public Schools
Syosset boys cross country race with many other teams.
– Location: Great Neck, New York
– Total students: 6,831
– National rank: 3
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North Carolina: Polk County Schools
Indoor sports course for kids in a gym.
– Location: Columbus, North Carolina
– Total students: 2,154
– National rank: 399
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North Dakota: Edmore School District No. 2
Kids holding sheets of music and singing.
– Location: Edmore, North Dakota
– Total students: 35
– National rank: 675
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Ohio: Solon City School District
Special education teacher working with a young boy at a green table.
– Location: Solon, Ohio
– Total students: 4,521
– National rank: 49
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Oklahoma: Edmond Public Schools
Sunny exterior view of the Edmond Public Schools.
– Location: Edmond, Oklahoma
– Total students: 23,496
– National rank: 285
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Oregon: West Linn-Wilsonville School District
A West Linn-Wilsonville school bus.
– Location: Tualatin, Oregon
– Total students: 9,302
– National rank: 348
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Pennsylvania: Radnor Township School District
Kids reading and writing at their desks.
– Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
– Total students: 3,624
– National rank: 14
0xF8E8 // Wikimedia Commons
Rhode Island: Barrington Public Schools
The outside of brick Barrinton school with a blue sign.
– Location: Barrington, Rhode Island
– Total students: 3,388
– National rank: 227
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South Carolina: Fort Mill School District
Three kids laughing and running outside the school wearing backpacks.
– Location: Fort Mill, South Carolina
– Total students: 16,883
– National rank: 235
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South Dakota: Brandon Valley School District
A bench outside full of kids’ backpacks.
– Location: Brandon, South Dakota
– Total students: 4,721
– National rank: 639
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Tennessee: Maryville City Schools
A dad walking his daughter to school.
– Location: Maryville, Tennessee
– Total students: 5,441
– National rank: 383
Larry D. Moore // Wikimedia Commons
Texas: Eanes Independent School District
A stone school with a Texas and American flag in front.
– Location: Austin, Texas
– Total students: 7,968
– National rank: 10
Yuganov Konstantin // Shutterstock
Utah: Northern Utah Academy for Math Engineering & Science (Nuames)
A mom handing her daughter some spiral notebooks for school.
– Location: Layton, Utah
– Total students: 1,135
– National rank: 173
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Vermont: South Burlington School District
A school bus in front of a playground.
– Location: South Burlington, Vermont
– Total students: 2,688
– National rank: 638
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Virginia: Falls Church City Public Schools
Students sitting in a row outside smiling.
– Location: Falls Church, Virginia
– Total students: 2,500
– National rank: 220
Architectsea // Wikimedia Commons
Washington: Mercer Island School District
The outside front of Mercer Island school on a rainy day.
– Location: Mercer Island, Washington
– Total students: 4,192
– National rank: 157
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West Virginia: Monongalia County Schools
Two girls sit together in class smiling at each other.
– Location: Morgantown, West Virginia
– Total students: 11,113
– National rank: Not ranked
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Wisconsin: Elmbrook School District
Empty wooden desks in class.
– Location: Brookfield, Wisconsin
– Total students: 7,280
– National rank: 45
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Wyoming: Sheridan County School District No. 2
A hallway of lockers.
– Location: Sheridan, Wyoming
– Total students: 3,519
– National rank: 893
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