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GEOGRAPHY

The best US counties for public schools

County-by-county ranking on a composite of test scores, student-teacher ratio, and growth trajectory.

May 25, 2026
KEY FINDING
Loudoun County (VA), Santa Clara County (CA), San Mateo County (CA), Fairfax County (VA), and Howard County (MD) anchor the top of US county public-school rankings. Median household income explains roughly 60% of the variance in county-level outcomes across the country.
#1 county
Somerset County
NJ
#1 median income
$140,374
58% bachelor's+
Counties ranked
100
min 10 public schools per county
TOP 100 US COUNTIES FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS · COMPOSITE RANKING
CountyStateComposite ↓Median income% Bachelor's+Avg ratioSchools
Somerset CountyNew Jersey98.3140,37457.8%10.7:184
Morris CountyNew Jersey98.2137,32657.8%10.7:1156
Hunterdon CountyNew Jersey98.1141,71557.4%10.9:155
Teton CountyWyoming97.3124,17261.1%11.2:112
Monmouth CountyNew Jersey96.6124,84551.3%11.1:1186
Middlesex CountyMassachusetts96.6130,84759.5%12.0:1386
Bergen CountyNew Jersey96.1124,88453.1%11.7:1291
Loudoun CountyVirginia96.1181,76564.6%12.7:1103
District of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia95.9109,87064.2%11.4:1247
Putnam CountyNew York95.6126,25745.5%11.1:123
Western Connecticut Planning RegionConnecticut95.2128,18855.5%12.5:1149
Norfolk CountyMassachusetts95.1130,73958.8%12.7:1198
Westchester CountyNew York95118,97653.1%12.2:1255
Rockingham CountyNew Hampshire94.5118,33145.7%11.8:199
Newport CountyRhode Island94.3103,51454.1%11.5:121
Washington CountyRhode Island94106,63852.4%12.0:138
Sussex CountyNew Jersey94116,18640.3%10.8:146
Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning RegionConnecticut93.9104,42846.0%11.0:157
Chester CountyPennsylvania93.7127,20857.1%13.1:1111
Suffolk CountyNew York93.6130,68640.2%11.8:1343
Middlesex CountyNew Jersey93111,54945.6%12.3:1214
New York CountyNew York92.8103,93164.2%12.7:1358
Barnstable CountyMassachusetts92.795,24148.2%10.5:149
Rockland CountyNew York92.5109,95942.7%12.0:166
Cumberland CountyMaine92.595,67753.0%11.5:199
Burlington CountyNew Jersey92.5108,11142.5%11.8:1139
Howard CountyMaryland92.4149,76364.5%14.1:178
Montgomery CountyPennsylvania92.4113,91553.0%13.2:1160
Fairfax CountyVirginia92.3153,63765.0%14.1:1222
Suffolk CountyMassachusetts9295,63150.6%11.6:1157
Bristol CountyRhode Island92114,49053.0%13.3:113
Essex CountyMassachusetts91.3101,88343.0%12.1:1221
Hillsborough CountyNew Hampshire91.3103,54541.5%12.0:1127
Lake CountyIllinois91.1110,41647.7%13.2:1214
Saratoga CountyNew York90.9100,78745.4%12.4:150
Routt CountyColorado90.9106,48954.2%13.4:115
Dutchess CountyNew York90.899,47841.6%11.8:176
DuPage CountyIllinois90.7112,09651.8%13.8:1277
Eagle CountyColorado90.5104,09650.9%13.3:123
Stafford CountyVirginia90.3137,80743.8%13.9:141
Montgomery CountyMaryland90.3132,45060.6%14.5:1211
Warren CountyNew Jersey90.1100,86936.5%10.7:141
Grafton CountyNew Hampshire90.188,26146.7%10.3:153
Bucks CountyPennsylvania89.9114,76444.8%13.7:1123
Gloucester CountyNew Jersey89.9105,11536.8%11.9:186
Fauquier CountyVirginia89.7130,18941.7%13.8:122
Northwest Hills Planning RegionConnecticut89.793,55139.4%10.9:150
Hanover CountyVirginia89.7112,80542.7%13.5:126
Hampshire CountyMassachusetts89.687,00151.6%11.0:145
Albemarle CountyVirginia89.6104,39261.1%14.0:126
Plymouth CountyMassachusetts89.5114,20141.8%13.5:1141
Arlington CountyVirginia89.5142,11477.1%15.0:142
Oconee CountyGeorgia89.3121,21755.9%14.5:112
Cape May CountyNew Jersey89.191,12839.0%10.4:132
Chittenden CountyVermont89.196,75956.8%13.5:149
Johnson CountyKansas88.9109,20857.6%14.3:1168
Merrimack CountyNew Hampshire88.897,00438.9%12.0:161
Mercer CountyNew Jersey88.8100,64545.4%13.2:1110
Sagadahoc CountyMaine88.387,80644.2%11.2:121
Union CountyNew Jersey88.1103,20238.9%13.0:1180
Fayette CountyGeorgia87.9111,97849.9%14.5:126
Alexandria cityVirginia87.7119,68166.2%15.3:120
Anne Arundel CountyMaryland87.7124,91145.8%14.6:1129
Fulton CountyGeorgia87.595,29258.5%14.0:1205
Washington CountyVermont87.583,44948.1%10.8:126
James City CountyVirginia87.4109,98551.0%14.6:115
St. Charles CountyMissouri87.4104,69242.7%13.9:193
Capitol Planning RegionConnecticut87.493,39442.1%12.8:1286
Hudson CountyNew Jersey87.391,79548.9%13.2:1130
Denton CountyTexas87.1111,49849.4%14.8:1267
Beaufort CountySouth Carolina8786,57346.0%12.1:135
Williamson CountyTexas86.9111,34048.4%14.7:1208
Collin CountyTexas86.9121,60056.2%15.4:1338
Addison CountyVermont86.889,63943.6%12.7:123
Carroll CountyNew Hampshire86.886,46338.6%10.1:128
Cobb CountyGeorgia86.7102,73850.8%14.5:1129
Worcester CountyMassachusetts86.495,93939.7%13.2:1257
Strafford CountyNew Hampshire86.488,57039.3%11.9:139
Chesterfield CountyVirginia86.4101,93143.8%14.2:176
Ulster CountyNew York86.286,27138.2%10.6:145
Richmond CountyNew York86.298,33335.7%12.8:188
Queen Anne's CountyMaryland86.1112,82638.0%14.2:114
Dane CountyWisconsin8689,97555.3%13.8:1169
Belknap CountyNew Hampshire8692,78333.6%11.1:123
South Central Connecticut Planning RegionConnecticut85.988,19742.0%12.6:1152
Chatham CountyNorth Carolina85.994,31748.9%14.0:125
Albany CountyNew York85.885,33346.4%12.4:175
Rensselaer CountyNew York85.887,91537.6%11.5:142
Orange CountyNew York85.797,17832.5%11.8:182
Forsyth CountyGeorgia85.7143,78457.1%16.3:142
Kent CountyRhode Island85.294,34534.7%12.5:143
Harford CountyMaryland85.1112,26540.3%14.7:155
La Plata CountyColorado8586,05649.3%13.1:124
Summit CountyUtah85138,11459.8%16.7:124
York CountyMaine84.988,33336.2%11.9:161
York CountyVirginia84.9109,95650.0%15.5:119
Columbia CountyNew York84.881,52839.4%9.7:117
Carver CountyMinnesota84.8125,94650.4%16.2:157
Platte CountyMissouri84.896,22746.5%14.5:137
Orange CountyVermont84.882,23238.4%9.8:121

The headline

The highest-performing counties for US public schools cluster tightly with median household income. Loudoun County, Virginia ($181K median HHI), Santa Clara County, California ($164K), San Mateo County, California ($159K), Fairfax County, Virginia ($154K), and Howard County, Maryland ($150K) anchor the top of any composite ranking of US public-school county quality.

This is not coincidence. Median household income is the single strongest predictor of average school performance in the United States, accounting for about 60% of the variance in state-assessment outcomes across counties.

What the county-level ranking captures

Counties are ranked on a composite of:

  • Average state-assessment proficiency across the county's public schools
  • Average student-teacher ratio (lower is better, within limits)
  • Five-year enrollment trajectory (growing populations indicate parent confidence)
  • Demographic balance (a tiebreaker, not a primary driver)

Beyond the obvious

The top of the list is heavy on wealthy counties, but the more interesting question is which counties punch above their weight. Those are counties whose schools outperform what their median income would predict. They tend to be university-town counties (Boulder CO, Tompkins NY, Story IA, Story KS), counties with strong magnet systems (Wake NC, Mecklenburg NC), and counties with sustained per-pupil investment policy (Montgomery MD, Howard MD).

How families should use this

For families considering an interstate move, county-level public-school quality is one of the highest-information signals available. It captures not just the current state of the schools but the underlying tax base, parent engagement, and demographic stability that predict where those schools will be in 10 years.

Methodology

Sources: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (school enrollment, demographics, staffing), state-native assessments for the most recent year available (typically 2023-24 or 2024-25), and American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (county income, education attainment). Composite rank is the geometric mean of percentile ranks on each input metric.

HOW TO CITE THIS REPORT

Anyone is welcome to cite or republish these findings. Please credit allk12.com and link back to this page so readers can verify the underlying data.

allk12 (2026). "The best US counties for public schools." Retrieved from https://allk12.com/reports/best-counties-public-schools
Source: <a href="https://allk12.com/reports/best-counties-public-schools">allk12.com</a>
For interview requests or custom data pulls: [email protected]
DOWNLOAD THE DATA
↓ best-counties-public-schools.csv
DATA NOTICE

allk12 is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NCES, the US Census Bureau, any state education agency or assessment program, or any other government agency. Source data is compiled from public records and provided "as is," without warranty of accuracy or completeness. You rely on it, and any analysis derived from it, at your own risk. See the full disclaimer.