The personal finance social network WalletHub ranked public school systems around the nation, and found that California’s ranked as the ninth-worst.
Factors measured by WalletHub included:
- Test results in reading and math
- Remote-learning opportunities from online public schools
- Dropout rate
- Pupil to teacher ratio
- SAT scores
- Percentage of graduates finishing an AP course and test
- Percentage of students who asserted they had been threatened or hurt by a weapon while in high school
- Bullying incident and youth incarceration rates
California schools were considered the third-least-safe in the nation, surpassed only by Indiana and Washington D.C.
WalletHub derived its data from a number of sources, including U.S. News & World Report , the U.S. Census Bureau, the National Center for Educational Statistics, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Kids Count — Annie E. Casey Foundation, the College Board, ACT, K12.com and Stopbullying.gov.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson has touted his “A Blueprint for Great Schools” as a means of improving the state’s schools. He has also endorsed California’s implementation of Common Core standards.