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Best Student-Teacher Ratios

States ranked by avg student-teacher ratio. Lower is better.

Top 15 states by student-teacher ratio

NCES average student-teacher ratio, lower means more individual attention

  1. 1
    Wyoming 10.7:1
    1.0x the leader's value · rank #1 of 15
  2. 2
    Maine 10.8:1
    1.0x the leader's value · rank #2 of 15
  3. 3
    North Dakota 10.8:1
    1.0x the leader's value · rank #3 of 15
  4. 4
    District of Columbia 11.0:1
    1.0x the leader's value · rank #4 of 15
  5. 5
    New Hampshire 11.0:1
    1.0x the leader's value · rank #5 of 15
  6. 6
    Vermont 11.2:1
    1.0x the leader's value · rank #6 of 15
  7. 7
    Montana 11.3:1
    1.1x the leader's value · rank #7 of 15
  8. 8
    New York 11.4:1
    1.1x the leader's value · rank #8 of 15
  9. 9
    New Jersey 11.5:1
    1.1x the leader's value · rank #9 of 15
  10. 10
    Massachusetts 11.9:1
    1.1x the leader's value · rank #10 of 15
  11. 11
    Connecticut 12.2:1
    1.1x the leader's value · rank #11 of 15
  12. 12
    Missouri 12.2:1
    1.1x the leader's value · rank #12 of 15
  13. 13
    New Mexico 12.7:1
    1.2x the leader's value · rank #13 of 15
  14. 14
    Kansas 12.9:1
    1.2x the leader's value · rank #14 of 15
  15. 15
    Nebraska 13.0:1
    1.2x the leader's value · rank #15 of 15

Wyoming leads at a 10.7:1 ratio; the #15 cutoff, Nebraska at 13:1, is still better than 71% of all 51 ranked states.

Source NCES Common Core of Data

The bar to make this list

Student-teacher ratio across all 51 ranked states

13 Among the most affordable more affordable than 71% of 51 US states

#15 cutoff 10 21 every ranked state, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source NCES Common Core of Data

# State Avg Ratio
1 Wyoming 10.7:1
2 Maine 10.8:1
3 North Dakota 10.8:1
4 District of Columbia 11.0:1
5 New Hampshire 11.0:1
6 Vermont 11.2:1
7 Montana 11.3:1
8 New York 11.4:1
9 New Jersey 11.5:1
10 Massachusetts 11.9:1
11 Connecticut 12.2:1
12 Missouri 12.2:1
13 New Mexico 12.7:1
14 Kansas 12.9:1
15 Nebraska 13.0:1
16 Pennsylvania 13.0:1
17 South Dakota 13.0:1
18 Rhode Island 13.3:1
19 West Virginia 13.3:1
20 Arkansas 13.4:1
21 Illinois 13.4:1
22 Louisiana 13.6:1
23 Virginia 13.7:1
24 Georgia 13.8:1
25 Hawaii 13.8:1
26 South Carolina 13.8:1
27 Minnesota 13.9:1
28 Mississippi 13.9:1
29 Maryland 14.0:1
30 Iowa 14.1:1
31 Wisconsin 14.1:1
32 Delaware 14.4:1
33 Texas 14.4:1
34 Kentucky 15.1:1
35 Indiana 15.2:1
36 Tennessee 15.2:1
37 Oklahoma 15.4:1
38 Alaska 15.6:1
39 Colorado 15.7:1
40 North Carolina 16.1:1
41 Idaho 16.7:1
42 Michigan 16.7:1
43 Alabama 17.2:1
44 Arizona 17.2:1
45 Oregon 17.2:1
46 Ohio 17.4:1
47 Washington 17.7:1
48 Florida 17.8:1
49 Nevada 19.0:1
50 Utah 20.3:1
51 California 20.8:1

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This ranking is computed directly from the NCES school data cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.