Oklahoma Ranks Third Worst School System In America, WalletHub Says
- mike33692
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Oklahoma Ranks Third Worst School System In America, New Study Finds
Oklahoma ranks as the third worst school system in America, according to a new national study that evaluates public education using dozens of academic performance and school safety metrics. While the state improved slightly from last year, Oklahoma continues to rank near the bottom nationally in educational quality.
The WalletHub 2026 States with the Best & Worst School Systems report places Oklahoma 49th overall out of 51 school systems, including the District of Columbia. That's an improvement of one position from last year's 50th-place ranking, but the study shows Oklahoma continues to struggle in reading, math and graduation-related outcomes while performing somewhat better in school safety.
Oklahoma Ranks Third Worst School System In America
The annual WalletHub report evaluates public K-12 education using 32 separate performance indicators divided into two major categories: School Quality and School Safety.
Oklahoma finished 49th overall, ranking ahead of only Alaska and New Mexico.
The study also found Oklahoma ranked:
44th in math achievement.
48th in reading achievement.
48th for high school dropout rates.
49th for overall educational quality.
34th nationally for school safety.
By comparison, Massachusetts, which ranked first overall, scored near the top nationally across nearly every academic category measured in the report.
Although Oklahoma moved up one position compared to last year, the rankings indicate the state's academic performance continues to trail much of the nation.
WalletHub Report Highlights Testing Differences
One statistic receiving attention involves standardized testing.
The report shows Oklahoma tied for 49th in median ACT scores, while ranking 21st in median SAT scores.
Education officials note those results require additional context.
Nearly 100 percent of Oklahoma high school students take the ACT because it is administered statewide, while only about 2 percent of students take the SAT.
That small testing population means Oklahoma's SAT ranking reflects only a limited group of students rather than the state's overall graduating class.
The study's overall ranking places greater emphasis on broader educational performance measures, including graduation outcomes, academic achievement and school quality.
Education Rankings Continue To Spark Debate
The latest rankings arrive as Oklahoma leaders continue debating education funding, teacher recruitment, classroom performance and long-term academic improvement.
Supporters of recent education reforms point to Oklahoma's slight improvement from last year's rankings, while critics argue the report demonstrates more work remains to improve student achievement across the state.
The WalletHub study is one of several national rankings published each year comparing state education systems using multiple performance indicators.
Although Oklahoma climbed one position in the overall standings, the report underscores the continued challenges facing public education, particularly in reading proficiency, mathematics and graduation outcomes. Those issues are expected to remain central topics for educators, lawmakers and school leaders as Oklahoma prepares for another academic year and continues searching for ways to improve student success statewide.
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