America’s least-funded school systems are located in states where high school students are least prepared for college, according to WalletHub. And Covid-19 only made things worse.

To determine the worst-performing public school systems in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across two key dimensions of “Quality” and “Safety” by evaluating 32 relevant metrics. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest quality of public K-12 education. WalletHub then determined the weighted average of each state and the District of Columbia across all metrics to calculate its overall score and rank order.

Here, in ascending order, are the 10 states that scored the worst in WalletHub's study:

10. Alabama

The state ranks 43rd in school spending. Alabama ranks first for lowest dropout rate, but 48th for lowest reading test scores and 51st for lowest math test scores. Alabama ranks 23rd in Safety and 45th in Quality. Total Score: 39.81 out of 100.

9. Mississippi

Mississippi’s school system ranks 48th for spending. The state ranks 42nd for highest percentage of injured/threatened high school students and is tied with Louisiana, South Carolina, Hawaii and Nevada at 47th for lowest median ACT score. Mississippi ranks 45th in Safety and 43rd in Quality. Total Score: 38.65 out of 100. 

8. Oregon

The state ranks 20th in school spending. Oregon ranks 47th for lowest pupil-teacher ratio and 48th for highest dropout rate. The state ranks 39th in Safety and 44th in Quality. Total Score: 38.07 out of 100.

7. Oklahoma

Oklahoma ranks 25th in Safety and 46th in Quality. Total Score: 38.01 out of 100.

6. South Carolina

The state ranks 30th in education spending. South Carolina is tied with California and Louisiana at 43rd place for highest percentage of injured/threatened high school students and is tied with Nevada, Hawaii, Louisiana and Mississippi at 47th place for the lowest median ACT score. South Carolina ranks 51st in Safety and 42nd in Quality. Total Score: 37.31 out of 100.

5. West Virginia

The state ranks 25th for education spending. While the Mountain State ranks third for lowest dropout rate, it ties with Louisiana at 48th place for lowest math test scores, and ranks 44th for highest bullying incidence rate. West Virginia ranks 18th in Safety and 47th in Quality. Total Score: 37.18 out of 100.

 4. Arizona

The state ranks 40th in school spending.The Grand Canyon State ranks 49th for pupil-teacher ratio and is tied with New Mexico and the District of Columbia at 49th place for highest dropout rate. Arizona ranks 34th in Safety and 48th in Quality. Total Score: 35.11 out of 100.

3. Louisiana

The Pelican State ranks 33rd in education spending. The state is tied with South Carolina and California at 43rd place for highest percentage of threatened/injured high school students. It is also tied with Nevada, Hawaii, South Carolina, and Mississippi at 47th place for lowest median ACT score and tied with West Virginia at 48th place for lowest math test scores. Louisiana ranks 47th for both lowest reading test scores and highest dropout rate. The state ranks 40th in Safety and 49^th in Quality. Total Score: 34.09 out of 100.

2. Alaska

The state places ninth for education spending. The Last Frontier ranks 48th for highest bullying incidence rate and 51st for reading test scores. The state ranks 30th in Safety and 50th in Quality. Total Score: 33.05 out of 100.

1. New Mexico

The Land of Enchantment ranks 28th in education spending. New Mexico is tied with Idaho at 47th place for lowest median SAT score and ranks 50th for both lowest reading and math test scores. It is tied with Arizona and the District of Columbia at 49th place for highest dropout rate. The state ranks 43rd for Safety and 51st for Quality. Total Score: 26.07 out of 100.

The full report can be viewed here.