California vs Nevada

Education Comparison

California

Nevada

How California and Nevada compare on education: k-12 education rank, high school graduation rate, student-teacher ratio, and more.

Overview

Key differences

K-12 Education Rank

California ranks #32 for K-12 education, higher than Nevada at #44 (US News).

High School Graduation Rate

California has a higher high school graduation rate than Nevada.

Student-Teacher Ratio

Nevada has a lower student-teacher ratio than California.

School Spending

California spends more per pupil than Nevada by $8,560.

Teacher Salary

California pays teachers a higher average salary than Nevada by $28,740.

Public School Ranking

California ranks #8 for public schools, higher than Nevada at #48.

Metric	CA	NV	Deep dive
K-12 Education Rank US News Best States K-12 education sub-ranking (1 = best, 50 = worst).	#32	#44	Details ->
High School Graduation Rate 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate for public high schools (NCES).	84.0%	80.0%	Details ->
Student-Teacher Ratio Average number of pupils per teacher in public K-12 schools (NCES).	22.2:1	21.5:1	Details ->
School Spending Per-pupil K-12 education spending (World Population Review 2025).	$20,233	$11,673	Details ->
Teacher Salary Average public school teacher salary, 2024-25 (NEA).	$103,552	$74,812	Details ->
Public School Ranking Public school system ranking, 1 = best.	#8	#48	Details ->
Student Loan Debt Average federal student loan debt per borrower.	$38,300	$34,756	Details ->
College Graduation Rate 4-year college graduation rate (%).	60.2%	43.9%	Details ->