Despite record funding, Arizona’s public-school systems ranked 48th nationwide over factors such as graduation rates, test scores and school safety, according to a recent analysis.
“The state tied with four others – Idaho, Alaska, New Mexico and Washington, D.C. – for the highest dropout rate,” lamented Arizona Central in discussing the report by WalletHub, a personal finance company.
The report weighted test performance – including SAT, ACT, fourth and eighth grade math and reading scores – along with graduation rates to provide for 80% of each state’s ranking.
“The other 20% of the score is based on metrics related to school safety, including the required number of police officers per school and the presence of violence, drugs and weapons on school grounds,” the news article explained. “Access to technology and training for remote learning also contributed to a state’s safety score.”
