Securing a child’s academic success begins with choosing the correct schools. But how can parents decide where best to enroll their kids? Because children develop and learn at different rates, the ideal answer to that question varies based on each student’s needs. Unfortunately, most parents do not have the luxury of placing their kids privately, private or preparatory schools which are known for providing their students with greater individual attention.

For the vast majority of U.S. families, public education is the only alternative. But the quality of public school systems varies widely from state to state and is frequently a question of funding. Public elementary and secondary education dollars traditionally stream from three sources: the federal, state and local authorities. According to EdCentral, says contribute nearly as much as local authorities, while the federal government supplies the smallest share of their total. Some researchers have found that more funds — or taxes paid by taxpayers — typically result in better school-system performance.

Unlike other research that concentrates primarily on academic results or college finance, however, WalletHub’s analysis takes a broader approach, accounting for performance, funding, safety, class size and instructor credentials. To determine the top-performing school systems in America, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 21 important measures.

The Massachusetts school system is second to none.

WalletHub found that Massachusetts is way ahead of the pack. In fact, three New England states come in the Top 5, with New Hampshire in No. 3 and Vermont in fifth.

Bay State schools rank first in both quality and safety, based on WalletHub. It also takes the top spot when it comes to math and reading test scores, median ACT score also has the lowest proportion of threatened or injured high school students.

The worst school system in the country belongs to Louisiana, WalletHub states.