State | Worst School Districts 2021 (24-7 Wall St) | Worst School Districts 2020 (USA Today) | |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | Alabama | Eufaula City School District | Chickasaw City Schools |
![]() | Alaska | Lower Yukon School District | Lower Kuskokwim School District |
![]() | Arizona | Gadsden School District 32 | Window Rock Unified School District 8 |
![]() | Arkansas | Forrest City School District | Osceola School District |
![]() | California | Mendota Unified School District | Mendota Unified School District |
![]() | Colorado | Las Animas School District RE-1 | Las Animas School District |
![]() | Connecticut | Waterbury School District | Hartford Public Schools |
![]() | Delaware | Woodbridge School District | Woodbridge School District |
![]() | Florida | Hamilton County School District | Hamilton County School District |
![]() | Georgia | Treutlen County School District | Stewart County School District |
![]() | Hawaii | Hawaii Department of Education | Hawaii Public Schools |
![]() | Idaho | Oneida County School District 351 | Mountain View School District 244 |
![]() | Illinois | Prairie Hills Elementary School District 144 | Cahokia Unit School District 187 |
![]() | Indiana | Union School Corporation | Gary Community School Corporation |
![]() | Iowa | Clayton Ridge Community School District | Monona County |
![]() | Kansas | Humboldt Unified School District 258 | Riverside Unified School District 114 |
![]() | Kentucky | McCreary County School District | Harlan County Public Schools |
![]() | Louisiana | Madison Parish School District | East Carroll Parish School District |
![]() | Maine | School Administrative District 68 | Regional School Unit 10 |
![]() | Maryland | Baltimore City Public Schools | Somerset County Public Schools |
![]() | Massachusetts | Chelsea School District | Springfield Public Schools |
![]() | Michigan | River Rouge School District | River Rouge School District |
![]() | Minnesota | Worthington Public School District | Red Lake Public Schools |
![]() | Mississippi | North Bolivar Consolidated School District | Holmes County School District |
![]() | Missouri | Hayti R-II School District | Caruthersville School District 18 |
![]() | Montana | Browning H S Dist 9 | Libby Public Schools |
![]() | Nebraska | Lexington Public Schools | Winnebago Public Schools |
![]() | Nevada | White Pine County School District | Nye County School District |
![]() | New Hampshire | Berlin School District | Berlin Public Schools |
![]() | New Jersey | Trenton City School District | Camden City School District |
![]() | New Mexico | West Las Vegas Public Schools | Dulce Independent Schools |
![]() | New York | Niagara Falls City School District | Rochester City School District |
![]() | North Carolina | Robeson County Schools | Thomasville City Schools |
![]() | North Dakota | Williams County School District 8 | Belcourt School District 7 |
![]() | Ohio | Clearview Local School District | Cleveland Municipal School District |
![]() | Oklahoma | Carnegie Public Schools | Crooked Oak Public Schools |
![]() | Oregon | Marcola School District | Oakridge School District |
![]() | Pennsylvania | Greater Johnstown School District | Farrell Area School District |
![]() | Rhode Island | Central Falls School District | Central Falls School District |
![]() | South Carolina | Dillon School District 4 | Dillon School District Four |
![]() | South Dakota | Todd County School District 66-1 | Oglala Lakota County School District |
![]() | Tennessee | Union County School District | Fayetteville City Schools |
![]() | Texas | Edgewood Independent School District | Monte Alto Independent School District |
![]() | Utah | Uintah School District | Ogden City School District |
![]() | Vermont | St. Johnsbury Town School District | Springfield School District |
![]() | Virginia | Colonial Beach Public Schools | Sussex County Public Schools |
![]() | Washington | Mary M. Knight School District | Union Gap School District |
![]() | West Virginia | McDowell County School District | McDowell County Schools |
![]() | Wisconsin | Milwaukee School District | Chequamegon School District |
![]() | Wyoming | Niobrara County School District 1 | Fremont County School District No. 21 |
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.
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%.
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.
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.