Moving with kids and want to prioritize education when choosing a place to live? There are many factors to consider if you’re looking to live in top city for education—including public and private education systems, college rankings, and additional resources like libraries and museums. Here’s our list of cities with the best education in the nation.
| Number of Public Schools | Number of Private Schools | Number of Post-Secondary Schools | |
| Ann Arbor, MI | 42 | 33 | 11 |
| Arlington, VA | 32 | 11 | 8 |
| Atlanta, GA | 155 | 64 | 46 |
| Austin, TX | 195 | 49 | 30 |
| Boston, MA | 68 | 22 | 53 |
| Chicago, IL | 644 | 387 | 104 |
| Overland Park, KS | 22 | 16 | 6 |
| Philadephia, PA | 314 | 248 | 60 |
| Raleigh, NC | 79 | 36 | 12 |
| San Diego, CA | 211 | 99 | 62 |
| San Jose, CA | 226 | 67 | 20 |
Ann Arbor, MI
As a top city to raise a family and WalletHub’s No. 1-ranked educated city, it’s no surprise that Ann Arbor is one of the best cities for education. Along with having some of the best public schools in the country, Ann Arbor is recognized as one of the best college towns in the U.S. Residents can become Wolverines (NCAA D-I) and choose from a variety of majors to earn their bachelor’s and master’s degrees in at the University of Michigan—which is consistently ranked as one of the best public research universities and is the fifth best public university in America. Tree Town also boasts some of the best public schools in Michigan, including Skyline High School and Pioneer High School. Plus, the city’s public library system—Ann Arbor District Library—has consistently received five-star ratings by Library Journal!
Arlington, VA
Ranked the third-most educated city by WalletHub and known as one of the best cities to live in America, Arlington, VA, provides residents with family-friendly neighborhoods and excellent education opportunities. Residents can send their children to highly-rated Arlington Public Schools like Arlington Traditional Elementary School, Dorothy Hamm Middle School, and Washington-Liberty High School. Situated near the nation’s capital, Arlington offers easy access to historic DC destinations like The Smithsonian and the Library of Congress—the largest museum and library in the United States respectively—in addition to Gallaudet University, one of the best schools for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals.
Atlanta, GA
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Atlanta is one of the best places to live if you want to be surrounded by highly-rated private schools. Families living in The Big Peach can send their children to The Westminster Schools, a private Christian day school that offers K-12 students a challenging curriculum designed to foster personal and academic excellence. Find specialty programs like Isdell Center for Global Leadership and resources like the Academic Resource Center that strive to teach children in new ways at Pace Academy. Additionally, if you’re pursuing higher education, universities such as Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, and Georgia State University are among some of the best colleges in Atlanta.
Austin, TX
If you’re looking to live in one of the best big cities in the U.S. with excellent education opportunities, consider Austin! Parents living in the Live Music Capital of the World can send their children to nearby area schools in the the well-ranked Eanes Independent School District. Those looking to pursue higher education can earn their undergraduate or graduate degree at The University of Texas at Austin—which is one of the best universities in Texas. And after earning your degree, residents of ATX can find plenty of job opportunities in the tech and healthcare fields at major employers such as Dell Technologies, Tesla, Ascension Seton, St. Davids Healthcare, and more.
Boston, MA
Mix learning with plenty of outdoor recreation when you settle down in Boston. Those living in America’s Walking City can send their children to one of the best college prep and magnet schools in Massachusetts, as well as the oldest school in America, the Boston Latin School—founded in 1635. There are also plenty of private schools to choose from for a high-quality education, such as Commonwealth School, British International School of Boston, and Boston University Academy. In addition to notable schools, residents have access to tons of resources and information at The Boston Public Library, which houses over 24 million items—making it one of the best libraries in the world. Boston is also just minutes away from Cambridge, MA, the home of Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)—both of which are ranked amongst the most prestigious and oldest institutions for higher learning in the U.S.
Chicago, IL
Want to live in a big city that provides great education for students of all ages? Chicago might be the city for you! Immerse yourself in art or learn about science, natural history, and more at some of the area’s top museums, such as The Art Institute of Chicago, The Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, and the Field Museum. Access learning materials at the fifth largest library in the nation, the Boston Public Library—not to mention the first large free municipal library in the nation, the first to lend books, the first to have a branch library. The Windy City also has nearby suburbs like Lincolnshire, Glenview, and Evanston that all rank for the best school districts in America. And with multiple colleges and universities in the area, you can explore undergraduate and graduate programs at top schools such as the University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago, Loyola University Chicago, and DePaul University.
Overland Park, KS
One of the best Kansas City suburbs, Overland Park offers residents affordable living, great healthcare, and nationally-ranked schools. The Blue Valley Unified School District has some of the best public high schools in Kansas, including Blue Valley North High School and Blue Valley West High School. Overland Park is also one of the best cities to live in for families thanks to Lakewood Elementary School and Harmony Elementary School—which are among the best in the Sunflower State, as well! Additionally, programs such as KC Urban Advantage help underserved students achieve academic excellence in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math—completely funded by the Museum at Prairiefire.
Philadelphia, PA
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Philadelphia provides families, singles, and young professionals one of the top cities for education! Philly is home to The University of Pennsylvania—which is renowned for its commitment to cutting-edge research and innovation—so it’s no surprise that it’s one of the top universities in the world. If you’re looking for one of the best high schools in the U.S., consider Julia R. Masterman School, an institution that strives for academic excellence and provides 13 advanced placement courses. Parents can also browse public and private PreK-12 education options for their children at some of the best schools in Pennsylvania like Germantown Friends School, Friends Select School, and Central High School. Plus, Pennsylvania’s largest city boasts some of the best museums in the nation, providing tons of American history, art, and much more to explore!
Raleigh, NC
Raleigh is well-known for its numerous research facilities and tech companies that can be found within Research Triangle Park (RTP). The Research Triangle is also comprised of three tier-one research universities located in Durham, Chapel Hill, and Raleigh—Duke University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and NC State University, respectively. However, we’re featuring Raleigh specifically on our list of top U.S. cities for education because it’s the larger of the three Research Triangle cities, and NC State is the largest college in North Carolina and among the top 1% of universities worldwide. As residents of Raleigh, students or those moving to a city that values knowledge, exploration, and education, are able to take advantage of opportunities offered in RTP, and forge connections, network with potential employers, and work with leading companies. In addition to excellent higher ed opportunities, residents living in North Carolina’s capital city can take advantage of the best schools in Raleigh for their kids, like Quest Academy, Raleigh Charter High School, or Ravenscroft School.
San Diego, CA
San Diego is a great place to live for anyone seeking excellent educational opportunities and amazing year-round weather. This California city boasts numerous community, public, and private colleges and universities, including San Diego City College, The University of California San Diego, and the University of San Diego. Additionally, the city offers programs aimed at increasing access to early education, such as First 5 San Diego and San Diego Foundation‘s Early Childhood Initiative. If you’re looking for easy access to a top-notch private education, consider settling down in the San Diego neighborhood of La Jolla—one of the best areas in San Diego to buy a house, and home to The Bishop’s School, one of the best private high schools in the entire state. Plus, those living in San Diego can also take advantage of Resident Free Days at one of the many Balboa Park Museums, and the San Diego Public Library—home to more than 5.3 million books, 36 branches, and other free resources like the READ/San Diego literacy program.
San Jose, CA
Located near the heart of Silicon Valley, San Jose offers great learning opportunities amidst beautiful year-round weather. Ranked the second-most educated city by WalletHub, this NorCal city offers an award-winning, extensive public library system—with nearly 7.5 million annual check-outs—in addition to great public schools like Lynbrook High School and highly-rated private schools like The Harker School. Not only is the area full of start-ups and Silicon Valley tech companies—including in surrounding areas like Palo Alto, Cupertino, and Mountain View—but it’s also relatively close to nearby renowned Stanford University, home to one of the best medical schools in America. For more affordable education options, there are also several community colleges in the San Jose area, like San Jose City College or Evergreen Valley College.
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Methodology
To find the best cities for education, we compiled a list of all U.S. cities with at least one Extra Space Storage self storage facility. Cities recognized and ranked for their educational institutions and opportunities by WalletHub were retained. Then, pulling current data from sources like Niche, U.S. News & World Report, AreaVibes and more, we reviewed the following information for each city to narrow down our list:
- School district rankings
- Public school rankings
- Private school rankings
- University rankings
- Presence of libraries, museums, and other educational resources
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