What does this students ranking show?

It orders states by Public school enrollment. It is a comparison of this one published measure, not an overall ranking of where to live.

Where do these figures come from?

NCES via Urban Institute supplies this measure. States without a comparable published value are shown as not ranked rather than estimated.

How should I use this ranking?

Use it to narrow a search, then open a state or county profile for the underlying figures, source dates and caveats. A statewide number may not describe every neighbourhood.

Rankings · Schools

Lowest students by state

Public school enrollment.

This measure has no better end. The order describes the states, it does not rank them — see the other direction.

NCES Common Core of Data 2024, summed from the schools inside the county.

How to read this ranking

Vermont has the lowest published students in this comparison, at 77547. The next states shown are Wyoming (89915) and District of Columbia (93627).

The table orders 51 states by public school enrollment. It describes one published measure, not an overall judgment about where to live.

Use the result as a starting point, then compare the underlying source, dates, and local county figures before making a decision. NCES Common Core of Data 2024, summed from the schools inside the county.

1Vermont77547
2Wyoming89915
3District of Columbia93627
4North Dakota119037
5Alaska126855
6Rhode Island133879
7South Dakota139984
8Delaware142156
9Montana146931
10New Hampshire162644
11Maine165148
12Hawaii167071
13West Virginia239311
14New Mexico300921
15Idaho315191
16Nebraska330318
17Mississippi431206
18Kansas461581
19Nevada466235
20Arkansas481251
21Connecticut490969
22Iowa492299
23Oregon529498
24Kentucky651751
25Louisiana659616
26Oklahoma661527
27Utah663374
28Alabama731025
29South Carolina780233
30Wisconsin794261
31Colorado845697
32Minnesota858931
33Missouri876463
34Maryland890671
35Massachusetts911127
36Tennessee989556
37Indiana1027148
38Arizona1069512
39Washington1078105
40Virginia1250621
41Michigan1346709
42New Jersey1355569
43North Carolina1537187
44Pennsylvania1601367
45Ohio1620024
46Georgia1721467
47Illinois1842881
48New York2503408
49Florida2820281
50Texas5481976
51California5748089

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Frequently asked questions

What does this ranking show?: It orders states by Public school enrollment. It is one measure, not an overall verdict on where to live.
Where do the figures come from?: NCES via Urban Institute. States without a comparable published figure are listed as not ranked rather than estimated.
How should I use it?: Use it to narrow your search, then open a state or county profile for the source date, caveats and local context.

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<iframe src="https://movermath.com/embed/students" width="100%" height="420" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Public school enrollment by state"></iframe>

Source: NCES via Urban Institute. · How this is built

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