Overview

• WalletHub’s 2025 list puts Virginia, Utah, Washington, New York and Illinois at the top, with South Dakota, New Hampshire, Maine, Montana and Hawaii at the bottom.
• Education Secretary Linda McMahon said nearly half of high school seniors tested below basic in math and reading on the national assessment.
• The department said it will provide $500 million in 2025 grants to charter schools to support education choice.
• Virginia ranks No. 1 for teacher-friendliness in WalletHub’s analysis while reporting places it 51st in student math performance, a result a Virginia congresswoman called unacceptable.
• California places No. 10 with the highest average starting teacher salary and below-average NAEP math results as enrollment falls, while Washington ranks No. 3 and posted the largest decade-long teacher pay increase at more than 75 percent.