Arizona ranked last in US when it comes to public education, here's why

Phoenix, Arizona: A new study by Consumer Affairs has ranked Arizona as the worst state in the nation for public education. The report, which used data from the US Department of Education and the College Board, highlighted several statistics about Arizona's education system.

Arizona has the lowest ACT scores in the country, ranks 50th for school funding, and has the third-highest student-to-teacher ratio. The state also faces significant challenges with its teacher workforce, offering the third-lowest teacher salaries and struggling with a teacher shortage crisis.

According to the rankings, Arizona, Alabama, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Idaho are the worst states for public education in the US largely due to the fact that these states have relatively low average teacher salaries and low math and reading test scores among fourth graders and eighth graders (with the exception of Idaho). More importantly, these states also spend less on K-12 students. During the 2022-2023 academic year, public elementary and secondary education expenditures per student averaged $17,493. One of the bottom five states, Idaho, had the lowest average per-student expenditure in the country.

State Superintendent of Education Tom Horne, however, has expressed skepticism about the study’s findings, arguing that certain metrics might not paint an accurate picture of Arizona's education system. He pointed to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which tests students in math and English, showing that Arizona’s scores are on par with the national average despite the state’s low funding.

Horne also questioned the use of high school graduation rates as a key indicator of educational success, noting that increasing graduation rates could simply be a result of lowering academic standards. However, he did acknowledge the severe issue of teacher shortages, emphasizing that more teachers are leaving the classroom than entering, which he described as a “real emergency."

According to the study Massachusetts has the best public schools in the country. It boasts the highest high school graduation rate in the US (96.1%) and ties Connecticut for having the highest average ACT score (26.4 out of a highest possible score of 36). The national average is 19.5.

The state also has the best fourth-grade reading and eighth-grade math scores in the country on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tests. On average, Massachusetts teachers have the third-highest teaching salary in the country, at $92,307 per year, 33% above the national average.