New US public school rankings just came out. Here’s where NC landed
One of the first nationwide public school rankings of 2026 was just released. How did North Carolina fare?
The study compared state education systems across 11 key metrics, including test scores, class sizes, staffing, school availability, safety and digital readiness.
The report found that Northeastern states dominated the top of the list, with Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Connecticut taking four of the top five spots.
North Carolina came in at No. 22 on the list.
Researchers from The University of Melbourne Online noted that the strongest-performing states tended to have lower dropout rates and smaller student-teacher ratios, along with statewide digital learning plans. North Carolina’s public school dropout rate is 2%, and its student-teacher ratio is 22.2, according to the study.
They also highlighted that firearm incident rates and access to certified teachers increasingly play a role in how families judge school quality.
Here’s more about North Carolina school ratings.
Top high schools in NC
Despite North Carolina’s middle-of-the-pack rating by the University of Melbourne, multiple public high schools were ranked nationally last year by U.S. News & World Report.
Three public high schools landed in the top 100 nationally: The Early College at Guilford in Greensboro (No. 31) and STEM Early College at N.C. A&T (No. 44) in Greensboro, and Onslow Early College in Jacksonville (No. 76).
Other public schools receiving high marks in the Charlotte and Raleigh metro areas include Raleigh Charter High School (No. 206), Green Level High (No. 332) and Highland School of Technology (No. 392).
States with the best public schools
Here are the states with the best public schools, according to the University of Melbourne study:
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- Connecticut
- Wisconsin
- Vermont
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Colorado
- South Dakota
States with the worst public schools
Here are the states with the best public schools, according to the Melbourne study:
- Idaho
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Arizona
- Nevada
- Texas
- Louisiana
- Alaska
- Oklahoma
- New Mexico
This story was originally published January 7, 2026 at 2:57 PM with the headline "New US public school rankings just came out. Here’s where NC landed."
