Report card

Texas flunks out in new ranking of America's best school systems

Texas has the 29th best public school system in the U.S., according to WalletHub.

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Texans may think everything here is bigger and better, but the Lone Star State has fallen behind many other states in America when it comes to ensuring the academic success of its children, according to a new report by personal finance website WalletHub.

Texas landed a middling rank as No. 29 in WalletHub's annual "States with the Best and Worst School Systems (2024)" report, earning a score of 49.86 out of 100 total possible points.

The report examined all 50 states and the District of Columbia to determine the quality and safety of each state's public school system. Thirty-two metrics were considered in the study, including school graduation/dropout rates, standardized test scores, SAT/ACT scores, the number of school shootings, youth incarceration rates, and more.

Massachusetts is home to the No. 1 best public school system in the nation, earning a score of 74.36 points.

According to the study's findings, Texas has the sixth highest rate of bullying, and the eighth highest dropout rate in the nation. The state ranked No. 34 for its median ACT scores, and No. 40 in the nationwide ranking of median SAT scores.

Here's how WalletHub broke down Texas' ranking in other educational categories:

No. 1 – Existence of Digital Learning Plan
No. 18 – Math test scores
No. 29 – Percentage of licensed/certified public K-12 teachers
No. 31 – Pupil-teacher ratio
No. 40 – Percentage of threatened/injured high school students
No. 42 – Reading test scores

Moreover, Texas ranked No. 46 nationally for its spending on its public school system, the sixth lowest out of all 50 states and the District of Columbia. For context, New York spends the most on its public schools, and the state ranked No. 8 in the overall ranking of best public school systems.

Source: WalletHub

While securing enough public school funding is important for students' education, WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe warns that "simply having more money doesn’t guarantee success." What school districts do with that money is what matters.

"How funds are applied also plays a big role in how good a school system is, as does the quality of educators, other professionals and the curriculum," Happe said in the report. "In addition, schools need to focus not just on test scores but also on making sure that students feel safe, comfortable and cared for.”

Despite Texas' bleak state ranking, two distinguished Houston high schools were ranked among the best high schools in the country earlier in 2024. Twenty-two other Houston schools were included on the list of top 100 schools in Texas.

The top 10 states with the best public school systems are:

No. 1 – Massachusetts
No. 2 – Connecticut
No. 3 – Maryland
No. 4 – New Jersey
No. 5 – Wisconsin
No. 6 – New Hampshire
No. 7 – Nebraska
No. 8 – New York
No. 9 – Virginia
No. 10 – North Dakota

The full report and its methodology can be found on wallethub.com.

texas wallethub rankings reports schools

Fun times in the city

Houston lets loose as one of America's 10 most fun cities in 2024

RodeoHouston.com

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Houston is showing off its fun-loving side in WalletHub's new ranking of the top 10 most fun cities in America in 2024.

The annual report ranked H-Town No. 9 this year, in a 10-place hike from its 2023 ranking of No. 19.

WalletHub's experts compared 182 U.S. cities across 65 metrics to determine the level of "fun" for each city. The metrics were split among three main categories: entertainment and recreation, nightlife and parties, and cost.

According to the study's findings, Houston performed the best in the overall nightlife and parties category (No. 15). The city earned special recognition for having the No. 1 most dance clubs per capita in a three-way tie with Las Vegas (No. 1 overall) and San Francisco (No. 7 overall).

In the category for entertainment and recreation, Houston ranked No. 23 with the fifth highest number of park playgrounds per capita. Consider The Commons at Hermann Park, which has one of the best free playgrounds in the city. NRG Stadium, the home of the Houston Texans, is also one of the most affordable tailgating destinations in America.

Houston performed the worst in the overall cost category, but it technically only ranked No. 25 out of all 182 cities, which demonstrates just how affordable Houston is in comparison to the rest of the country.

Potential Newstonians should do their research before deciding to move here, rather than basing their decision on short trips and vacations. But we won't blame them for wanting to live in one of the best cities in the world.

"The top cities offer affordable options for year-round fun for their residents, which is good for residents’ wallets and their mental health," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo in the report.

Austin (No. 6) was the only other Texas city to earn a spot in the top 10 most fun U.S. cities list, moving up one spot from its rank as No. 7 in 2023. Other fun-filled Texas cities that made it in the top 100 are San Antonio (No. 25), Dallas (No. 31), El Paso (No. 53), Fort Worth (No. 55), Plano (No. 78), Arlington (No. 79), and Corpus Christi (No. 99).

The top 10 most fun U.S. cities are:

No. 1 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
No. 3 – Miami, Florida
No. 4 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 5 – New Orleans, Louisiana
No. 6 – Austin, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Chicago, Illinois
No. 9 – Houston, Texas
No. 10 – New York City, New York

Cities were evaluated based on the number of attractions per capita, nightlife activities per capita, the average prices for eating at a restaurant or buying a movie ticket, and more. Data was sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau, The Trust for Public Land, Council for Community and Economic Research, among others.

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