Worst School Districts by State 2024

Does the United States Have a Strong School System?

Many people are concerned that the United States is falling behind the rest of the world, particularly when it comes to reading and math. Compared to other countries, the United States tends to lag behind in several key areas. Even though there are exceptional private schools in the United States, and the university system remains one of the strongest in the world, K-12 education continues to be an area where the United States falls behind.

The ten states in the U.S. that rank the lowest for education are Alabama, Mississippi, Oregon, Oklahoma, South Carolina, West Virginia, Arizona, Louisiana, Alaska, and New Mexico. Within these states, there are particular districts that are especially struggling.

What Is the Worst School District in Alabama?

Chickasaw City Schools, which are located in Mobile County, are famous for having poor student performance. There are a lot of students in the region who face a lot of disadvantages outside of the classroom, including poverty. These stressors can have a significant impact on student performance. In 2023, the math proficiency in the district is 7% while reading proficiency is only 32%.

What is the Worst School District in Arkansas?

Poverty is a significant issue in other parts of the country as well. One example is the Osceola School District, which is located in Arkansas. More than forty percent of all students in the county live in poverty, and that makes it very difficult for students to do well in the classroom. In this district, just over nine percent of all adults have a Bachelor's degree, which can make it very difficult for children to get help at home. Because the property values are so low, there is not a lot of tax revenue funding the education system, and that is reflected in the quality of the education that children receive.

What Is the Worst School District in West Virginia?

McDowell Public Schools rank near the bottom of the state’s fifty-seven school districts. Although the graduation rate has been increasing, only 87% of the student body graduates yearly. Twenty-two percent of students are proficient in math, compared to the state proficiency of 38%. Similarly, reading proficiency lags almost twenty percent behind the state average, with only 23% of students scoring as proficient in reading.

Worst School Districts by State 2024

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

State
Worst School Districts
AlabamaChickasaw City Schools
AlaskaLower Kuskokwim School District
ArizonaWindow Rock Unified School District 8
ArkansasOsceola School District
CaliforniaMendota Unified School District
ColoradoLas Animas School District
ConnecticutHartford Public Schools
DelawareWoodbridge School District
FloridaHamilton County School District
GeorgiaStewart County School District
HawaiiHawaii Public Schools
IdahoMountain View School District 244
IllinoisCahokia Unit School District 187
IndianaGary Community School Corporation
IowaMonona County
KansasRiverside Unified School District 114
KentuckyHarlan County Public Schools
LouisianaEast Carroll Parish School District
MaineRegional School Unit 10
MarylandSomerset County Public Schools
MassachusettsSpringfield Public Schools
MichiganRiver Rouge School District
MinnesotaRed Lake Public Schools
MississippiHolmes County School District
MissouriCaruthersville School District 18
MontanaLibby Public Schools
NebraskaWinnebago Public Schools
NevadaNye County School District
New HampshireBerlin Public Schools
New JerseyCamden City School District
New MexicoDulce Independent Schools
New YorkRochester City School District
North CarolinaThomasville City Schools
North DakotaBelcourt School District 7
OhioCleveland Municipal School District
OklahomaCrooked Oak Public Schools
OregonOakridge School District
PennsylvaniaFarrell Area School District
Rhode IslandCentral Falls School District
South CarolinaDillon School District Four
South DakotaOglala Lakota County School District
TennesseeFayetteville City Schools
TexasMonte Alto Independent School District
UtahOgden City School District
VermontSpringfield School District
VirginiaSussex County Public Schools
WashingtonUnion Gap School District
West VirginiaMcDowell County Schools
WisconsinChequamegon School District
WyomingFremont County School District No. 21
showing: 50 rows

Worst School Districts by State 2024

Sources