If Wyoming isn’t among the first states you think of for a top-notch education you’ll need to think again. Recent analysis shows that not only is it among the states with the best schools in the nation, but it’s the only state completely west of the Mississippi that landed in the top 10.
So, what makes Wyoming schools so great? Community involvement and low student to teacher ratios for starters. When education is a priority for everyone, it shows in civic support and public school spending, and the students are the ones who benefit.
Wyoming is known for a lot of things, but education isn’t necessarily one of them.
Public Domain/Wikipedia
When asked to picture school in Wyoming, many people probably imagine a little one-room schoolhouse out on the prairie.
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/Flickr
The reality is that Wyoming has some very nice, very modern schools all across the state.
Alliance for Historic Wyoming/Flickr
One of the reasons we have terrific schools is that Wyoming earmarks more money than most other states to go toward public school spending.
QuinceMedia/Pixabay Only three other U.S. states spend more of their budgets on public schools than Wyoming does.
Non-financial community support plays a big part in what makes Wyoming schools some of the best, too.
Natrona County School District/YouTube Entire towns turn out for rallies, school sporting events, and ground-breaking ceremonies. When practically everyone gets involved in almost every aspect, schools and students reap the rewards.
Another awesome thing about Wyoming schools is the low student to teacher ratios. Even in the biggest schools, it’s only around 15:1 - and it’s lower than that throughout most of the state.
Tom Woodward/Flickr More personalized attention means a better experience and higher quality education for students.
At 80 percent, the graduation rate is good, too.
Big Horn Rams/Facebook The overall national average recently surged to 83 percent, but Wyoming students are hanging in there, collecting their diplomas and going on to earn at least a bachelor’s degree and earning at or above the national median income.
More students in Wyoming than in most other states are hitting critical achievement goals, too.
Jaine/Flickr While the national average for math and reading proficiency is 32.1 percent and 34.8 percent in that order, 35.3 percent of students in the Cowboy State competently ace math exams and 41.2 percent excel in reading.
And who’s to say the environment doesn’t play a part, too? Who wouldn’t benefit intellectually with gorgeous wilderness like this in your backyard?
Big Horn Rams/Facebook
All our schools do a great job, but Big Horn High School got everyone’s attention when it was named the best in the entire state.
Public Domain/Wikipedia
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/Flickr
Alliance for Historic Wyoming/Flickr
QuinceMedia/Pixabay
Only three other U.S. states spend more of their budgets on public schools than Wyoming does.
Natrona County School District/YouTube
Entire towns turn out for rallies, school sporting events, and ground-breaking ceremonies. When practically everyone gets involved in almost every aspect, schools and students reap the rewards.
Tom Woodward/Flickr
More personalized attention means a better experience and higher quality education for students.
Big Horn Rams/Facebook
The overall national average recently surged to 83 percent, but Wyoming students are hanging in there, collecting their diplomas and going on to earn at least a bachelor’s degree and earning at or above the national median income.
Jaine/Flickr
While the national average for math and reading proficiency is 32.1 percent and 34.8 percent in that order, 35.3 percent of students in the Cowboy State competently ace math exams and 41.2 percent excel in reading.
Did you attend school in Wyoming? Was it in one of our “big cities,” or a rural area?
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