New Jersey ranks fourth-best state for public education, report finds
Report cites strong school funding, safety and teacher resources while placing the Garden State fourth overall nationwide.
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New Jersey ranks fourth in the nation for public education, according to a new ConsumerAffairs analysis that compared states across school funding, academic outcomes, higher education and school safety.
The report ranked New Jersey third for school funding and resources, second for school safety, 13th for higher education and 15th for K-12 academic outcomes.
According to the analysis, New Jersey schools spend about $30,685 per K-12 student, the third-highest level in the nation. The state also has the sixth-lowest student-to-educator ratio, with fewer than 12 students per teacher.
ConsumerAffairs said New Jersey teachers earn an average salary of $84,974, the eighth-highest in the country and more than $10,000 above the national average.
The report also ranked New Jersey as the nation's second-safest state for schools. It cited 0.3 gun violence incidents per 100,000 K-12 and college students, the third-lowest rate in the analysis, and 7.8 reported criminal offenses per 10,000 college students, the lowest rate among all states.
For higher education, the report said New Jersey ranks 13th nationally, with an 84.3% first-year college retention rate, the 10th-highest in the country, and an average of $2,400 in grant aid per college student, the seventh-highest.
In K-12 academics, New Jersey ranked 15th overall. The report said fourth graders posted the nation's fourth-highest scores on National Assessment of Educational Progress reading and math exams, while eighth graders ranked second.
ConsumerAffairs based its rankings on measures of academic performance, school funding and resources, higher education and school safety.
(Photo Credit: Associated Press)
