Texas Schools Fall Short of a Passing Grade in a New State-by-State Study

After Texas' deep cuts in education funding, it may come as little surprise that the s tate's school system lags its peers. But you may be surprised just how badly it stacks up in a recent study.

Texas ranks 36th in terms of school quality and safety when compared against the other 50 states plus the District of Columbia, according to new research by personal finance site WalletHub.

WalletHub compared the states across 25 top measures of quality and safety. Its data set ranged from dropout rates and pupil-teacher ratios to number of bullying incidents and median standardized-test scores.

Massachusetts ranked No. 1 on the list, followed by New Jersey and Connecticut, while New Mexico ranked last.

The Lone Star State only managed to score in the top quartile in two areas: lowest dropout rate (where it was 5th) and lowest instances of bullying (16th). Its worst performance was in median scores on the SAT — the standardized test required for college entry — where it ranked 48th.

In recent years, Texas has cut back on the amount of state funds used to support public education. Most dramatically, lawmakers in 2011 hacked away $5 billion in school funding to make up for a budget deficit, but they have never fully restored the money.

Perhaps not surprisingly, most Texans disapprove of the way state leaders and lawmakers have handled public education, according to a recent University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.

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