Utah Nearly Topped The Country For Math Scores In A New Study

Utah may have just missed the national top ten for overall school quality, but its students continue to excel where it counts most—earning the nation's second-highest math scores while posting some of America's best SAT results.

Those findings come from WalletHub's 2026 report ranking the best and worst school systems in the United States. The annual study compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia using 32 different measures of school quality and safety. Academic performance accounted for 80 percent of each state's overall score, while school safety made up the remaining 20 percent.

Utah Just Misses The Top 10

Utah finished 11th overall, placing it just outside the top ten and among the nation's strongest K-12 education systems. The Beehive State ranked 12th for overall school quality and 16th for school safety, reflecting consistently strong performance across a wide range of measures.

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Perhaps the most impressive statistic is Utah's second-place finish in math test scores, trailing only Massachusetts. Utah also tied for fifth nationally in median SAT scores, reinforcing the state's reputation for producing high-achieving students.

The rankings suggest Utah continues to deliver impressive academic outcomes despite traditionally spending less per student than many states with comparable or lower rankings. While the WalletHub study considers factors such as graduation rates, class size, teacher credentials, disciplinary incidents, and bullying, Utah's exceptional student achievement stands out as one of its defining strengths.

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Massachusetts claimed the top overall ranking, followed by Connecticut, New Jersey, Virginia, and New Hampshire. At the opposite end of the list, New Mexico ranked last, with Oklahoma and Alaska also among the nation's lowest-performing school systems.

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Although Utah narrowly missed joining the nation's top ten overall, the report paints a picture of a state whose students consistently perform at an elite level academically. For parents, educators, and communities across Utah, the latest rankings provide another indication that the state's schools continue to prepare students for success in the classroom and beyond.