Colorado Falls to Bottom Ten in School Safety Despite High Spending

By Brooke Williams | KDVR Fox 31

DENVER (KDVR) — While Colorado has some of the best quality of education opportunities in public schools of any state in the U.S., the Centennial State ranks among the worst when it comes to safety in education, according to a new report.

Researchers from the personal finance website WalletHub analyzed public education in each state and the District of Columbia, looking at things like graduation rates and test scores as well as accessibility and safety, to determine which states are the best for public education.

Overall, East Coast states like Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey were found to be the best places for public education, according to the study. Colorado ranked just below the top half at No. 28 overall.

However, the report also ranked the states in two subcategories: quality of education and safety, showing where different states thrive and where there is room for improvement.

Colorado proved to be one of the best states for quality of education, ranking at No. 15, but fell when it comes to safety, ranking as the fifth-worst at No. 46.

One area where Colorado’s public education system thrives is in reading test scores, with the third highest of any state, according to the report.

States with the highest reading scores, according to WalletHub:

1. Massachusetts
2. New Jersey
3. Colorado
4. New Hampshire
5. Connecticut

The report also looked at school system rankings and expenses, and determined that Colorado is one of eight states that have both high spending and a weak school system.

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