Ohio schools don’t make the grade in new report

Ohio’s public schools should hit the books.

Ohio ranked 36th in WalletHub’s new States with the Best & Worst School Systems in 2026 report.

To compile its rankings and identify the top-performing school systems in the country, the personal finance site compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 32 key metrics. WalletHub said its review differs because it relies on a more comprehensive approach, including performance, funding, safety, class size and instructor credentials as metrics, not just academic outcomes or school finance.

Chip Lupo, a writer and analyst for WalletHub, said the state has an opportunity to improve not only the quality of its schools, but also their safety.

“Ohio ranked 36th overall, including 38th for quality and 33rd for safety, suggesting the state has room for improvement in both areas,” Lupo told Ohio.News via email. “While Ohio performs well in some academic measures, ranking 11th in math scores and 13th in reading scores, it lags behind on several indicators that carry significant weight in our methodology.

“For example, Ohio ranks 36th in the share of students earning a 3 or higher on AP exams, 35th in both median SAT and ACT scores, 33rd in graduation rates for economically disadvantaged students, and 41st for the pupil-to-teacher ratio,” Lupo added. “The state also ranks 22nd for the share of public schools among the nation’s top 700.”

Massachusetts topped the WalletHub ranking, edging out Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin.

“To improve its standing, the state should focus on increasing college readiness, expanding access to advanced coursework, improving outcomes for disadvantaged students, and reducing class sizes, while continuing to strengthen school safety initiatives,” Lupo said.

While the ranking indicates that state leaders have their homework cut out for them, the ranking probably shouldn’t come as a surprise.

In September, the 2025 Ohio School Report Cards released by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce revealed that more than 90% of Ohio’s public school districts earned three stars or higher.

While the results indicate the schools met or exceeded state expectations for performance, the report card shows a decline in reading proficiency and English language arts.

“We must keep working to ensure our students grow in all areas of academic achievement and career readiness,” Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said in a release at the time. “This is especially important as schools strengthen literacy instruction through the Science of Reading and as we continue investing in opportunities that prepare students for their futures after graduation.”

Separately, Senate Bill 19, which DeWine signed last month, mandates an examination of math curricula and requires teachers to use evidence-based math curricula moving forward.

“If you take a look at the scores over the last five to six years, they were way down in math. They shouldn’t have been,” state Sen. Andrew Brenner, R-Delaware, said, according to WBNX-TV/Fox 8 in Cleveland.

“If you look at the data coming out of our colleges, I spoke to Ohio State University and pretty much every student that was going in there needed math remediation. That is just not acceptable,” the lawmaker, who chairs the Senate Education Committee, added.

The Ohio Senate has passed Senate Bill 311, a second bill that Brenner sponsored. It establishes several reforms to promote accountability and integrity in Ohio’s education system, including barring organizations from helping students cheat.

According to Brenner, SB311 protects legitimate educational help and tutoring.