The Worst School District in Each State

Certain conditions in Montana’s Browning H S Dist 9 make it the worst district in the state. Children growing up in financially insecure households can face greater academic challenges, and in the Browning district, 31.7% of children live below the poverty line, more than double the 14.2% share of children across the state who do.

Disadvantages are evident in student outcomes. Of the just over 600 students enrolled in grades 9-12 in the district, only 5% are proficient in math and 5% proficient in reading, according to state standardized testing.

The Lexington Public School district, located in south-central Nebraska, ranks as the worst district in the state. Children with college-educated parents or guardians are more likely to succeed academically than children with less educated parents, and in the Lexington district, only 12.5% of adults have a bachelor’s degree, less than half the 31.3% share of adults across Nebraska.

While the relationship between school spending and academic outcomes is complicated, greater investment can provide students with considerable advantages. In Lexington, however, per pupil spending totals just $11,971 a year, about $800 less than the state average.

The White Pine County School District in eastern Nevada ranks as the worst district in the state. Smaller class sizes can result in more individualized instruction for students, and ultimately improved outcomes. In White Pine, however, there are 28 students for every teacher, compared to a statewide average student-teacher ratio of 20-to-1.

The district also gets low marks from school district and neighborhood review website Niche for academics, college prep, clubs and activities, and resources and facilities.

Children growing up in financially insecure households face greater hurdles to academic achievement than those in more financially secure environments. In New Hampshire’s Berlin School District, the worst district in the state, 19.9% of children live below the poverty line, more than double the 7.5% state child poverty rate.

Additionally, children who are raised by college-educated parents or guardians are more likely to succeed in school than those who are not. In the Berlin district, only 12.4% of adults have a bachelor’s degree, less than a third of the statewide share of 36.5%.

New Jersey’s Trenton City School District ranks as the worst district in the state. Children growing up in financially insecure households can face academic challenges, and in the Trenton district, 31.7% of children live below the poverty line, nearly triple the 11.5% share of children across the state who do. The district also gets low marks from school district and neighborhood review website Niche for academics, college prep, clubs and activities, and resources and facilities.

These disadvantages are evident in academic outcomes. Only 20% of district students are proficient in reading and just 10% are proficient in math, according to state standardized testing results.