NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WMOT) -- A new report suggests Tennessee schools are among the worst in the country.
WMOT News reporting partner Wallethub.com looked at 17 metrics to rank the nation’s schools, including student-to-teacher ratios, average academic scores, and dropout rates.
Tennessee came in at 36 among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, ranking higher than neighboring states Arkansas, Alabama, and Mississippi, but lower than Georgia, North Carolina and Kentucky.
Wallethub analyst Jill Gonzalez says a high schools crime rate helped push Tennessee to the bottom of the list. On the plus side, she says the state has a surprisingly high graduation rate.
“The dropout rate right now is a little less than 13 percent. Lot of other states are seeing 10 percent higher than that. Specifically for low income students (in Tennessee) the graduation rate is very, very high at about 82 percent or seventh best in the country. So keeping kids in school is something where Tennessee really shines.”
Gonzalez notes strong regional distinctions in the report, with schools in Southern States generally at the bottom of the list.
Would you like to review the complete Wallethub study?