Best States for Racial Equality in Education

It’s been decades since the landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education declared school segregation unconstitutional in 1954, though it took years for schools to actually adopt that ruling. Now, no one can be denied enrollment in a school due to the color of their skin, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that educational conditions are equal for all students.

A recent study found that school districts that have a high concentration of white students receive $23 billion more per year in funding than those that have a high concentration of non-white students. Lower funding can lead to lower quality education, which can affect not only a person’s income trajectory but also their career trajectory for the rest of their life.

In order to determine which states have the most racial equality in education, WalletHub compared the 50 states across six key metrics. Our data compares the difference between white and black Americans in areas such as high school and college degrees, test scores and graduation rates.

Main Findings

State Education Systems with the Most Racial Equality

*No. 1 = Most Equality

Gap in Share of Adults with at Least a High School Degree

Lowest Gap

• T-1. Texas
• T-1. California
• T-1. New Mexico
• T-1. Wyoming
• T-1. West Virginia

Highest Gap

• 46. Maine
• 47. Wisconsin
• 48. Iowa
• 49. South Dakota
• 50. Minnesota

Gap in Share of Adults with at Least a Bachelor Degree

Lowest Gap

• 1. Wyoming
• 2. New Mexico
• 3. Montana
• 4. West Virginia
• 5. Idaho

Highest Gap

• 46. Virginia
• 47. Wisconsin
• 48. New York
• 49. Massachusetts
• 50. Connecticut

Standardized-Test Scores Gap

Lowest Gap

• 1. New Hampshire
• 2. West Virginia
• 3. Vermont
• 4. New Mexico
• 5. Hawaii

Highest Gap

• 42. Nebraska
• 43. California
• 44. Pennsylvania
• 45. Iowa
• 46. Wisconsin

Mean SAT Score Gap

Lowest Gap

• 1. New Hampshire
• 2. West Virginia
• 3. Alaska
• 4. Nevada
• 5. Tennessee

Highest Gap

• 42. New York
• 43. Oklahoma
• 44. Ohio
• 45. Oregon
• 46. California

Best State vs. Worst State: 4x Difference

New Hampshire vs. California

Average ACT Score Gap

Lowest Gap

• 1. New Hampshire
• 2. Alaska
• 3. West Virginia
• 4. Rhode Island
• 5. Wyoming

Highest Gap

• 46. Oregon
• 47. South Carolina
• 48. Vermont
• 49. Wisconsin
• 50. Pennsylvania

Best State vs. Worst State: 11x Difference

New Hampshire vs. Pennsylvania

Gap in Public High School Graduation Rate

Lowest Gap

• 1. Hawaii
• 2. Delaware
• 3. Alabama
• 4. West Virginia
• 5. Wyoming

Highest Gap

• 46. Pennsylvania
• 47. Ohio
• 48. New York
• 49. Minnesota
• 50. Wisconsin

Best State vs. Worst State: 22x Difference

Hawaii vs. Wisconsin

Show More

Note: All of the above comparisons refer to the gaps between white people and black people, according to the most recent available data.

Ask the Experts

In order to provide further insight on how to promote equality in education, WalletHub turned to a panel of experts. Click on the pictures of the experts below to read their bios and see their responses to the following key questions:

1. Should local authorities target policies and programs to improve educational opportunities for all? If so, what works?
2. Should Critical Race Theory be taught in schools?
3. Have the recent years widened the existing inequalities in education?
4. How does the racial wealth gap affect educational opportunities?
5. How does race affect school spending per student?

Ask the Experts

Jacqueline Battalora
Professor and Chair, Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice - Saint Xavier University
Read More

Adia Harvey Wingfield
Vice Dean of Faculty Development and Diversity, Professor of Sociology, Mary Tileston Hemenway Professor of Arts & Sciences – Washington University in St. Louis
Read More

Julie J. Park
Ph.D. – Associate Professor, College of Education – University of Maryland, College Park
Read More

P.J. Brendese
Associate Professor of Political Theory, Department of Political Science – Johns Hopkins University
Read More

hephzibah v. strmic-pawl
Ph.D. – Associate Professor of Sociology – Manhattanville College, Editor in Chief, Humanity & Society and Facilitator, Support Ella Baker Day
Read More

Tiffany D. Joseph
Ph.D. – Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, International Affairs Program – Northeastern University
Read More

More Experts

Methodology

In order to determine the states with the most racial equality in education, WalletHub compared the 50 states across six relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most equality. We determined the level of equality by subtracting the values attributed to white people and black people for a given metric, using only the most recent available data.

If in some states black people scored as high as or better than white people on a given metric, all such states were awarded the maximum number of points.

Finally, we determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its total score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the states.

• Share of Adults with at Least a High School Degree: Half Weight (~9.09 Points)
  Note: “Adults” include the population aged 25 and older.
• Share of Adults with at Least a Bachelor’s Degree: Double Weight (~36.36 Points)
  Note: “Adults” include the population aged 25 and older.
• Standardized-Test Scores: Full Weight (~18.18 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on the results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
• Mean SAT Score: Half Weight (~9.09 Points)
• Average ACT Score: Half Weight (~9.09 Points)
• Public High School Graduation Rate: Full Weight (~18.18 Points)

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from U.S. Census Bureau, National Center for Education Statistics, ACT and College Board.

Supporting Video & Audio Files:

• YouTube (for web embedding)
• Raw video files (for editing into clips)
• Raw audio file (for editing into clips)