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U.S. Education Data

U.S. Student-Teacher Ratio by State 2026: Rankings & Charts

State ranking is based on the NCES Common Core of Data public elementary and secondary pupil/teacher ratio for school year 2023–24. The ratio uses student membership divided by full-time-equivalent teachers.

Rank 1 means the lowest reported student-to-teacher ratio. The measure is not average class size and should not be read as a direct classroom count.

Data type: Public school pupil/teacher ratio Coverage: 50 states + District of Columbia Latest source year: 2023–24 Unit: Students per FTE teacher Chart type: Ranking, map grid, regional range

Student-Teacher Ratio Statistics

The national ratio decreased from 15.4 in 2022–23 to 15.2 in 2023–24. State ratios ranged from 10.4 to 22.7 students per FTE teacher.

U.S. public school ratio
15.2
Students per FTE teacher, 2023–24
Lowest state/jurisdiction ratio
10.4
Vermont, rank 1
Highest state ratio
22.7
Arizona, rank 51
Median state ratio
14.1
Median across 51 jurisdictions
Data analysis
  • The U.S. public school ratio is 15.2 students per FTE teacher for 2023–24.
  • Vermont reports the lowest ratio at 10.4.
  • Arizona reports the highest ratio at 22.7.
  • The top-to-bottom spread is 12.3 students per FTE teacher.

State Ratio Map Grid

The map grid groups each state by 2023–24 ratio band. Hover text includes rank and one-year movement.

AL17.5 AK18.2 AZ22.7 AR12.5 CA21.8 CO16.1 CT11.9 DE14.3 DC11.1 FL18.4 GA14.2 HI14.0 ID17.6 IL13.5 IN15.3 IA14.1 KS13.0 KY15.3 LA14.5 ME11.3 MD14.2 MA11.8 MI16.6 MN14.7 MS13.0 MO12.8 MT13.8 NE13.7 NV21.3 NH11.5 NJ11.8 NM14.4 NY11.6 NC15.3 ND12.3 OH16.6 OK16.3 OR17.6 PA13.1 RI12.7 SC13.9 SD13.7 TN15.1 TX14.7 UT20.6 VT10.4 VA13.4 WA17.5 WV13.2 WI13.7 WY12.2
  • 10.0–12.0
  • 12.1–14.0
  • 14.1–16.0
  • 16.1–18.0
  • 18.1+

The West contains most of the highest-ratio states, while the Northeast contains most states below 12 students per FTE teacher.

Map analysis

Full State Ranking Chart

All 50 states and the District of Columbia, ranked from lower ratio to higher ratio.

The chart uses the same 51 rows shown in the full HTML table.

Chart analysis
  • Vermont, District of Columbia, and Maine have the three lowest reported ratios.
  • Arizona, California, and Nevada have the three highest reported ratios.
  • The national value of 15.2 sits above the 51-jurisdiction median of 14.1.
  • The ranking is based only on the CCD pupil/teacher ratio indicator.

Full State Student-Teacher Ratio Ranking

The table includes 50 states plus the District of Columbia. Change is the 2023–24 ratio minus the 2022–23 ratio.

Rank State Code Ratio 2022–23 Change Membership Teachers FTE Region Source year
1 Vermont VT 10.4 10.5 -0.1 82,455 7,962 Northeast 2023–24
2 District of Columbia DC 11.1 11.3 -0.2 92,794 8,335 South 2023–24
3 Maine ME 11.3 11.4 -0.1 172,545 15,288 Northeast 2023–24
4 New Hampshire NH 11.5 11.5 0.0 166,594 14,494 Northeast 2023–24
5 New York NY 11.6 11.7 -0.1 2,533,449 217,522 Northeast 2023–24
6 Massachusetts MA 11.8 12.0 -0.2 914,958 77,630 Northeast 2023–24
7 New Jersey NJ 11.8 11.8 0.0 1,392,567 118,031 Northeast 2023–24
8 Connecticut CT 11.9 11.7 +0.2 512,652 43,104 Northeast 2023–24
9 Wyoming WY 12.2 12.6 -0.4 91,036 7,452 West 2023–24
10 North Dakota ND 12.3 12.4 -0.1 119,033 9,639 Midwest 2023–24
11 Arkansas AR 12.5 12.7 -0.2 484,978 38,755 South 2023–24
12 Rhode Island RI 12.7 12.7 0.0 136,154 10,735 Northeast 2023–24
13 Missouri MO 12.8 12.8 0.0 891,248 69,786 Midwest 2023–24
14 Kansas KS 13.0 12.9 +0.1 483,505 37,167 Midwest 2023–24
15 Mississippi MS 13.0 13.0 0.0 436,523 33,694 South 2023–24
16 Pennsylvania PA 13.1 13.3 -0.2 1,692,829 129,545 Northeast 2023–24
17 West Virginia WV 13.2 13.5 -0.3 246,883 18,688 South 2023–24
18 Virginia VA 13.4 13.6 -0.2 1,258,852 94,035 South 2023–24
19 Illinois IL 13.5 13.7 -0.2 1,846,264 136,492 Midwest 2023–24
20 Nebraska NE 13.7 13.8 -0.1 329,162 24,052 Midwest 2023–24
21 South Dakota SD 13.7 13.8 -0.1 141,467 10,315 Midwest 2023–24
22 Wisconsin WI 13.7 13.7 0.0 814,202 59,623 Midwest 2023–24
23 Montana MT 13.8 13.7 +0.1 149,291 10,828 West 2023–24
24 South Carolina SC 13.9 14.1 -0.2 793,860 57,243 South 2023–24
25 Hawaii HI 14.0 14.2 -0.2 169,308 12,113 West 2023–24
26 Iowa IA 14.1 14.1 0.0 508,112 36,068 Midwest 2023–24
27 Georgia GA 14.2 14.4 -0.2 1,749,701 123,640 South 2023–24
28 Maryland MD 14.2 14.3 -0.1 890,122 62,754 South 2023–24
29 Delaware DE 14.3 14.2 +0.1 141,842 9,909 South 2023–24
30 New Mexico NM 14.4 14.6 -0.2 311,719 21,596 West 2023–24
31 Louisiana LA 14.5 17.5 -3.0 708,190 48,864 South 2023–24
32 Minnesota MN 14.7 15.5 -0.8 869,967 59,181 Midwest 2023–24
33 Texas TX 14.7 14.8 -0.1 5,532,518 376,582 South 2023–24
34 Tennessee TN 15.1 15.3 -0.2 1,004,625 66,417 South 2023–24
35 Indiana IN 15.3 15.8 -0.5 1,032,723 67,374 Midwest 2023–24
36 Kentucky KY 15.3 15.3 0.0 657,520 42,972 South 2023–24
37 North Carolina NC 15.3 15.4 -0.1 1,544,289 100,994 South 2023–24
38 Colorado CO 16.1 16.3 -0.2 865,661 53,776 West 2023–24
39 Oklahoma OK 16.3 16.6 -0.3 698,761 42,751 South 2023–24
40 Michigan MI 16.6 16.7 -0.1 1,426,491 86,022 Midwest 2023–24
41 Ohio OH 16.6 16.4 +0.2 1,675,300 100,659 Midwest 2023–24
42 Alabama AL 17.5 17.9 -0.4 748,650 42,858 South 2023–24
43 Washington WA 17.5 17.2 +0.3 1,093,745 62,552 West 2023–24
44 Idaho ID 17.6 17.5 +0.1 316,414 17,965 West 2023–24
45 Oregon OR 17.6 17.9 -0.3 547,424 31,083 West 2023–24
46 Alaska AK 18.2 18.3 -0.1 131,243 7,221 West 2023–24
47 Florida FL 18.4 18.3 +0.1 2,872,335 155,800 South 2023–24
48 Utah UT 20.6 22.2 -1.6 689,883 33,537 West 2023–24
49 Nevada NV 21.3 21.0 +0.3 479,574 22,533 West 2023–24
50 California CA 21.8 21.9 -0.1 5,837,338 268,195 West 2023–24
51 Arizona AZ 22.7 22.8 -0.1 1,117,630 49,260 West 2023–24
Table analysis
  • The table contains 51 rows: 50 states plus the District of Columbia.
  • 34 jurisdictions reported a lower ratio than in 2022–23.
  • 8 jurisdictions reported a higher ratio than in 2022–23.
  • 9 jurisdictions were unchanged after one-decimal rounding.
  • Louisiana shows the largest one-year decline, from 17.5 to 14.5.
  • Nevada and Washington show the largest increases, each at +0.3.
  • Teacher counts are reported as full-time equivalents.

Ratio Spread, Regions, and One-Year Movement

Supporting modules summarize distribution bands, regional ranges, and the latest one-year change from NCES CCD summary tables.

Lower and Higher Ratio Clusters

Eight lowest-ratio jurisdictions compared with eight highest-ratio states.

The cluster chart is a visual summary; the full ranking remains the source table.

Distribution by Ratio Band

Count of jurisdictions in each 2023–24 ratio band.

The largest band is 12.1–14.0, with 17 jurisdictions.

Chart analysis
  • The lowest-ratio cluster runs from 10.4 to 11.9.
  • The highest-ratio cluster runs from 17.6 to 22.7.
  • The distribution has 17 jurisdictions in the 12.1–14.0 band.
  • 6 states have ratios above 18.0.
Lower-ratio state Lower ratio Higher-ratio state Higher ratio Gap
Vermont 10.4 Arizona 22.7 12.3
District of Columbia 11.1 California 21.8 10.7
Maine 11.3 Nevada 21.3 10.0
New Hampshire 11.5 Utah 20.6 9.1
New York 11.6 Florida 18.4 6.8
Massachusetts 11.8 Alaska 18.2 6.4
New Jersey 11.8 Idaho 17.6 5.8
Connecticut 11.9 Oregon 17.6 5.7
Table analysis
  • The largest paired gap is 12.3 ratio points: Vermont compared with Arizona.
  • All eight lower-ratio entries are below 12.0.
  • All eight higher-ratio entries are at least 17.6.

Regional Spread

Range bars show low-to-high values by Census region; markers show the regional median.

Northeast10.4–13.1
Median 11.8Avg 11.8
Midwest12.3–16.6
Median 13.7Avg 14.2
South11.1–18.4
Median 14.3Avg 14.5
West12.2–22.7
Median 17.6Avg 17.5

The West has the widest regional range, from 12.2 in Wyoming to 22.7 in Arizona.

Region Jurisdictions Average ratio Median ratio Low High Range Avg change
Northeast 9 11.8 11.8 10.4 13.1 2.7 -0.1
Midwest 12 14.2 13.7 12.3 16.6 4.3 -0.1
South 17 14.5 14.3 11.1 18.4 7.3 -0.3
West 13 17.5 17.6 12.2 22.7 10.5 -0.2
Table analysis
  • Northeast has the lowest regional average at 11.8.
  • West has the highest regional average at 17.5.
  • The West has the widest spread at 10.5 ratio points.
  • The Northeast has the narrowest spread at 2.7 ratio points.
Ratio band Jurisdictions Share States
10.0–12.0 8 15.7% Vermont, District of Columbia, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut
12.1–14.0 17 33.3% Wyoming, North Dakota, Arkansas, Rhode Island, Missouri, Kansas, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Illinois, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Montana, South Carolina, Hawaii
14.1–16.0 12 23.5% Iowa, Georgia, Maryland, Delaware, New Mexico, Louisiana, Minnesota, Texas, Tennessee, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina
16.1–18.0 8 15.7% Colorado, Oklahoma, Michigan, Ohio, Alabama, Washington, Idaho, Oregon
18.1+ 6 11.8% Alaska, Florida, Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona
Table analysis
  • The 12.1–14.0 band contains 17 jurisdictions, or 33.3% of the table.
  • The 18.1+ band contains 6 states, or 11.8% of the table.
  • The middle three bands contain 37 jurisdictions.

One-Year Ratio Movement

State cells show ratio-point change from 2022–23 to 2023–24.

AL-0.4
AK-0.1
AZ-0.1
AR-0.2
CA-0.1
CO-0.2
CT+0.2
DE+0.1
DC-0.2
FL+0.1
GA-0.2
HI-0.2
ID+0.1
IL-0.2
IN-0.5
IA0.0
KS+0.1
KY0.0
LA-3.0
ME-0.1
MD-0.1
MA-0.2
MI-0.1
MN-0.8
MS0.0
MO0.0
MT+0.1
NE-0.1
NV+0.3
NH0.0
NJ0.0
NM-0.2
NY-0.1
NC-0.1
ND-0.1
OH+0.2
OK-0.3
OR-0.3
PA-0.2
RI0.0
SC-0.2
SD-0.1
TN-0.2
TX-0.1
UT-1.6
VT-0.1
VA-0.2
WA+0.3
WV-0.3
WI0.0
WY-0.4

Negative values mean the reported ratio moved lower from the prior year after one-decimal rounding.

Trend analysis
  • Louisiana has the largest decline at -3.0 ratio points.
  • Utah has the second-largest decline at -1.6 ratio points.
  • Nevada and Washington have the largest increases at +0.3.
  • The U.S. ratio moved from 15.4 to 15.2.

Ratio Ranking Notes

The ranking shows staffing concentration relative to reported membership. It does not rate school quality or measure classroom size.

Ranking basis

Rank order uses the 2023–24 CCD pupil/teacher ratio. Lower ratios appear first.

State size effect

Large enrollment states can have high or low ratios depending on reported teacher FTE counts.

Regional pattern

Northeast states cluster in lower bands, while several Western states sit in higher bands.

Outcome pairing

Graduation rates are not merged into the ranking because ACGR and CCD use separate reporting cycles.

Source and Methodology

Data source NCES Common Core of Data, Table 2, school year 2023–24.
Supporting federal reference NCES CCD State Nonfiscal Survey and Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey.
Latest available year 2023–24, Final Version 1a.
Unit of measure Students per full-time-equivalent teacher.
Coverage U.S. totals and ranking rows cover the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Prior-year comparison 2022–23 NCES CCD summary table, used only for one-year movement.

The ratio equals student membership divided by teacher full-time equivalents as reported in CCD summary tables. Student membership excludes adult education students. Teacher counts are FTE counts. Values are rounded to one decimal place.

Official source links: NCES CCD Table 2, 2023–24 and NCES CCD Table 2, 2022–23.

Methodological Safety Note

Pupil/teacher ratio is a staffing indicator, not average class size. It includes teachers for students with disabilities and other teachers counted in full-time-equivalent staffing. Rankings should not be read as direct evidence of outcomes, instructional quality, class size, or school performance.