For the second year in a row, New Jersey has been ranked the third-best school system in the country by WalletHub. WalletHub analysts compared all 50 states and Washington, D.C. across 32 key measures of quality and safety for its States with the Best & Worst School Systems in 2026 report.
New Jersey garnered a total score of 67.41, improving its quality ranking from No. 3 to No. 2, with a quality score of 69.82.
Here are NJ’s other category rankings:
- 1st for lowest dropout rate (tied with Mississippi)
- 1st for existence of a digital learning plan
- 2nd for reading test scores
- 3rd for share of students scoring at least a 3 on AP exams
- 4th for best share of public schools that rank in the top 700 nationwide (8.5 percent)
- 5th for math test scores (for fourth and eighth grades)
- 8th for student-teacher ratio
- 8th for median ACT score
- 16th for percentage of threatened or injured high school students
- 21st for bullying incidence rate
- 25th for percentage of licensed or certified public K-12 teachers
“New Jersey continued to demonstrate remarkable consistency this year … [and] the state’s success continues to be driven by exceptional academic outcomes,” Chip Lupo, WalletHub writer and analyst, told New Jersey Family. “Although New Jersey’s safety rank remains a comparatively modest No. 20, its ability to strengthen its academic standing while holding onto a top three overall ranking suggests that its investments in high-performing schools and student achievement continue to pay off. Continued improvements in school safety could further strengthen an already high-performing education system and help reinforce the state’s position among the nation’s best.”
We can boast some top schools, too. Last year, Franklin School, an independent high school in Jersey City, was given T4’s 2025 World’s Best School Prize for Innovation – the only school in North America to be included in the Innovation category. In 2025, 9 New Jersey high schools were ranked top in the country, and 11 schools in New Jersey were named Blue Ribbon Schools in 2025 in the last year of the New Jersey Department of Education program.
And in 2025, U.S News & World Report named New Jersey the No. 1 school system in the U.S.
There are the Top 10 States with the Best & Worst School Systems for 2026, according to WalletHub:
- Massachusetts
- Connecticut
- New Jersey
- New Hampshire
- Wisconsin
- Virginia
- Vermont
- New York
- Rhode Island
- North Dakota
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 Read More:
7 New Jersey Universities Among the Best in the World, According to U.S. News
The Top 5 NJ Colleges Where Grads Earn the Most 10 Years Later
These 5 NJ High Schools Send the Most Grads to Harvard, Princeton & MIT
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