Education

California vs New York: Student-Teacher Ratio

New York has a lower student-teacher ratio than California.

California flag
California
CA · West
22.2:1
Average number of pupils per teacher in public K-12 schools (NCES).
New York flag
New York
NY · Northeast
Winner
12.5:1
Average number of pupils per teacher in public K-12 schools (NCES).

Visual comparison

California22.2:1
New York12.5:1

National Rankings

Where They Rank Nationally

See where both states fall among all 50 states for student-teacher ratio.

California #49 · 22.2:1
New York #8 · 12.5:1
Best Worst

10 Best States — Student-Teacher Ratio

Lower is better
#1 Vermont flag Vermont
9.8:1
#2 Wyoming flag Wyoming
11.2:1
#3 North Dakota flag North Dakota
11.7:1
#4 Maine flag Maine
11.9:1
#5 New Jersey flag New Jersey
11.9:1
#6 South Dakota flag South Dakota
12.3:1
#7 New Hampshire flag New Hampshire
12.4:1
#8 New York flag New York
12.5:1
#9 Connecticut flag Connecticut
12.6:1
#10 Montana flag Montana
12.8:1
Selected states
#49 California flag California
22.2:1

California ranks 49th and New York ranks 8th nationally for student-teacher ratio.

What this means

California vs New York: Student-Teacher Ratio in context

New York's student-teacher ratio is 12.5:1, compared with 22.2:1 in California. Average number of pupils per teacher in public K-12 schools (NCES).

California
22.2:1
New York
12.5:1

People also ask

California vs New York Student-Teacher Ratio — common questions

QWhat is California's student-teacher ratio?

California's student-teacher ratio is 22.2:1.

QWhat is New York's student-teacher ratio?

New York's student-teacher ratio is 12.5:1.

QWhich state has a lower student-teacher ratio — California or New York?

New York has a lower student-teacher ratio than California.

More comparisons: California vs New York

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Full comparison

Data source and freshness

Data period
Latest incorporated NCES release
Dataset reviewed
July 23, 2026
Method note
State education statistic as defined in the metric description.