California vs Texas

Education Comparison

California

Texas

How California and Texas 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 Texas at #38 (US News).

High School Graduation Rate

Texas has a higher high school graduation rate than California.

Student-Teacher Ratio

Texas has a lower student-teacher ratio than California.

School Spending

California spends more per pupil than Texas by $7,789.

Teacher Salary

California pays teachers a higher average salary than Texas by $39,803.

Public School Ranking

California ranks #8 for public schools, higher than Texas at #34.

Metric	CA	TX	Deep dive
K-12 Education Rank US News Best States K-12 education sub-ranking (1 = best, 50 = worst).	#32	#38	Details ->
High School Graduation Rate 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate for public high schools (NCES).	84.0%	90.0%	Details ->
Student-Teacher Ratio Average number of pupils per teacher in public K-12 schools (NCES).	22.2:1	14.8:1	Details ->
School Spending Per-pupil K-12 education spending (World Population Review 2025).	$20,233	$12,444	Details ->
Teacher Salary Average public school teacher salary, 2024-25 (NEA).	$103,552	$63,749	Details ->
Public School Ranking Public school system ranking, 1 = best.	#8	#34	Details ->
Student Loan Debt Average federal student loan debt per borrower.	$38,300	$33,770	Details ->
College Graduation Rate 4-year college graduation rate (%).	60.2%	45.3%	Details ->