Study Reveals the U.S. Cities to Live in for Access to High-Quality Schools

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Article courtesy of Melbourne Business School Online 

Finding a city that’s good to live in and has great schools can make a big difference for families. Good schools give kids a strong start, while safe neighborhoods, parks, and easy access to libraries and transport make everyday life easier and more enjoyable.

The study by Melbourne Business School Online looked at 17 key metrics in two main areas: academic quality and life quality. Academic quality measures things like overall school performance, the share of schools with an A Niche grade, pupil-to-teacher ratios, test scores, and how many adults have college degrees. Life quality considered safety, housing costs, affordability, parks and libraries, walkability, transit options, and local living reviews.

Boston leads the pack as the best big city for families focused on education, thanks to strong test scores, small class sizes, and a highly educated population. Seattle and Madison follow closely behind, each offering a solid mix of school quality, libraries, parks, and student performance. While Boston and Seattle come with steep housing costs, Madison stands out as a more affordable alternative that still delivers top academic results, safety, and family-friendly amenities.

Midway through the top 10, Jersey City and San Francisco appeal to families who want strong schools paired with urban convenience. Jersey City benefits from small class sizes and excellent transit access, while San Francisco boasts a large share of top-rated schools and strong academic outcomes, albeit with eye-watering housing prices. Buffalo and Pittsburgh offer a different appeal altogether, trading elite school reputations for affordability, reasonable class sizes, and good access to parks and libraries, making them attractive options for families watching their budgets.

Rounding out the top ten, Virginia Beach, St. Louis, and San Diego each bring something different to the table. Virginia Beach stands out for safety and outdoor space, even if walkability lags behind. St. Louis offers affordability and strong access to libraries and parks but struggles more with safety. San Diego closes the list with excellent living reviews, strong schools, and an enviable lifestyle, though families will need to contend with high housing costs and larger class sizes.

The full list:

			Quality of schools									Life Quality
Rank	City	State	Share of schools with A Niche Grade	% of population with Bachelor’s degree or higher	% of population with High School Graduation	Number of Libraries per 10,000 people	Pupil to Teacher Ratio	Grade 8 Reading Score	Grade 8 Math Score	SAT Scores	ACT Scores	Share of 5-Star Living Reviews	Safety levels	Cost-of-living Index	Housing affordability	Number of parks per 10,000 people	Clear days (sunshine)	Walk score	Transit score	Total Score
1	Boston	Massachusetts	21.93	27.76	17.97	0.40	14.8	268	283	1,109	26.10	66.52	60.02	83	726,753	12.66	98	82.8	72	68.04
2	Seattle	Washington	30.34	38.11	8.91	0.34	16.1	259	274	1,081	24.50	63.14	45.62	79	700,000	11.05	58	74.4	60	61.52
3	Madison	Wisconsin	20.71	34.86	12.66	0.35	15.9	260	283	1,221	19.40	48.06	66.07	59	335,000	10.49	90	49.7	35	60.59
4	Jersey City	New Jersey	17.05	30.76	17.45	0.29	14.9	266	282	1,050	24.10	50.60	60.11	68	540,000	2.52	94	86.6	70	59.65
5	San Francisco	California	35.54	35.15	10.64	0.34	20.9	254	269	1,086	26.50	65.71	39.11	90	1,245,215	6.07	160	88.7	77	58.71
6	Buffalo	New York	13.10	17.51	27.96	0.40	15.7	257	271	1,035	25.40	51.81	51.71	52	277,334	13.24	54	66.6	47	57.23
7	Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania	10.31	26.23	22.49	0.32	15.8	259	276	1,075	24.30	78.43	61.83	55	221,717	7.74	59	62.4	55	57.13
8	Virginia Beach	Virginia	26.27	25.46	21.99	0.15	16.3	256	275	1,101	24.80	48.43	58	60	360,000	8.42	106	33.1	21	55.45
9	St. Louis	Missouri	16.40	24.04	21.38	0.47	17	255	270	1,193	19.80	33.96	30.28	55	270,000	13.19	101	65.7	43	55.43
10	San Diego	California	32.54	30.51	14.63	0.25	21.9	254	269	1,086	26.50	100.00	60.2	78	880,000	3.98	146	53.3	37	55.38
11	Lincoln	Nebraska	18.81	26.90	19.75	0.23	16	256	280	1,227	19.10	45.69	66.23	54	290,000	7.56	117	44.1	24	55.24
12	Cincinnati	Ohio	15.63	24.89	23.66	0.35	16.8	260	279	1,025	19.00	62.13	51.32	55	298,945	11.92	81	49.1	44	55.12
13	Omaha	Nebraska	22.86	24.69	22.18	0.18	16	256	280	1,227	19.10	40.91	54.28	55	305,000	5.75	134	48.2	24	54.89
14	Irvine	California	28.05	39.99	9.85	0.16	21.5	254	269	1,086	26.50	88.92	69.89	80	920,000	11.08	146	43.2	26	54.75
15	Newark	New Jersey	16.67	14.01	37.88	0.25	14.9	266	282	1,050	24.10	23.41	23.17	65	540,000	2.92	94	75.9	65	54.48
16	St. Petersburg	Florida	23.08	26.53	19.64	0.30	17.6	253	267	948	19.00	83.28	59.82	61	345,000	7.17	242	43	33	54.19
17	Raleigh	North Carolina	27.57	33.66	15.86	0.20	15.9	255	276	1,161	18.50	55.30	60.43	58	435,449	3.50	111	31.3	29	53.88
18	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	10.07	19.74	30.95	0.34	15.8	259	276	1,075	24.30	44.88	34.25	60	379,969	3.68	93	74.8	67	53.45
19	Denver	Colorado	14.52	34.31	14.26	0.23	17.9	265	278	988	24.70	71.73	52.16	62	566,597	4.63	115	61.2	45	53.34
20	New York	New York	20.24	24.42	22.66	0.26	15.7	257	271	1,035	25.40	74.03	51.71	100	793,963	0.44	107	88	89	53.19
21	Plano	Texas	31.43	36.66	10.74	0.20	17.8	252	269	971	19.40	61.83	76.98	61	380,000	6.24	135	40.5	15	53.15
22	Chicago	Illinois	13.06	26.61	20.44	0.30	17.2	262	277	966	24.50	71.21	34.03	65	346,252	4.59	84	77.2	65	52.81
23	Minneapolis	Minnesota	9.38	33.89	13.87	0.33	15.4	260	282	1,215	20.70	0.00	44.38	62	375,000	7.03	95	71.4	55	52.64
24	St. Paul	Minnesota	9.34	24.43	20.66	0.33	15.4	260	282	1,215	20.70	60.98	50.16	62	365,000	8.81	95	60.4	n/a	52.44
25	Atlanta	Georgia	18.41	34.67	14.88	0.29	16.6	259	269	1,039	21.20	68.89	35.55	64	388,475	8.70	110	47.7	44	52.18
26	Charlotte	North Carolina	22.15	31.71	17.35	0.21	15.9	255	276	1,161	18.50	70.20	52.83	58	435,000	3.98	109	26.4	27	51.32
27	Kansas City	Missouri	18.61	23.52	25.13	0.19	17	255	270	1,193	19.80	64.27	41.23	56	330,000	9.27	120	35.3	25	50.80
28	Lubbock	Texas	33.68	21.08	26.48	0.22	17.8	252	269	971	19.40	31.87	49.93	53	230,000	3.30	170	39	n/a	50.68
29	Colorado Springs	Colorado	16.59	26.05	19.94	0.16	17.9	265	278	988	24.70	43.17	58.55	58	425,000	6.38	125	36.1	19	50.36
30	Wichita	Kansas	19.69	18.87	25.73	0.20	16	255	274	1,256	19.30	33.79	50.81	52	230,000	3.41	128	34.8	20	50.07
31	Greensboro	North Carolina	20.20	24.39	21.84	0.26	15.9	255	276	1,161	18.50	36.25	52.53	54	275,000	7.86	109	29.4	n/a	50.02
32	New Orleans	Louisiana	20.21	22.87	21.27	0.22	16.8	257	267	1,195	18.20	55.95	32.74	60	300,000	6.96	101	58	44	49.80
33	Portland	Oregon	22.49	31.51	15.38	0.27	19.2	255	268	1,117	21.10	55.71	42.73	66	517,000	5.23	68	67.3	49	49.74
34	Austin	Texas	28.44	35.17	13.41	0.20	17.6	252	269	971	19.40	67.86	57.61	73	426,454	5.12	115	41.7	35	49.66
35	Durham	North Carolina	23.08	29.76	14.66	0.26	15.9	255	276	1,161	18.50	33.83	44.68	58	390,000	4.17	111	30.3	28	49.52
36	Henderson	Nevada	19.57	24.20	23.38	0.17	20	253	265	1,180	17.20	92.33	77.79	65	450,000	4.58	210	30	25	49.23
37	Aurora	Colorado	14.41	24.70	20.33	0.17	17.9	265	278	988	24.70	39.39	40.95	57	400,000	6.68	115	42.5	35	48.95
38	San Jose	California	37.61	26.72	14.51	0.14	21.7	254	269	1,086	26.50	46.97	51.9	88	1,572,103	4.11	160	50.5	40	48.59
39	Miami	Florida	23.61	24.14	25.30	0.24	18	253	267	948	19.00	73.15	47.14	71	484,341	3.45	74	76.6	57	48.57
40	Baltimore	Maryland	13.92	18.67	27.89	0.25	15.4	258	268	998	24.70	21.68	27.55	61	360,000	5.86	105	64.3	53	48.25
41	Fort Wayne	Indiana	10.81	21.49	27.66	0.25	16.9	262	278	969	23.30	32.69	59.1	51	215,000	3.52	88	31.7	22	47.81
42	Milwaukee	Wisconsin	6.90	20.37	28.28	0.21	15.9	260	283	1,221	19.40	29.50	33.37	60	370,525	4.50	90	61.5	49	47.79
43	Oakland	California	22.79	28.02	13.93	0.20	21.5	254	269	1,086	26.50	45.95	30.77	75	900,000	3.65	160	75.3	57	47.54
44	Mesa	Arizona	24.18	22.90	21.98	0.17	22.5	254	270	1,185	17.70	36.42	56.39	59	345,000	5.54	193	37.9	27	47.38
45	Orlando	Florida	14.56	28.64	22.05	0.32	17.8	253	267	948	19.00	68.65	50.84	63	384,931	9.69	101	41.1	33	47.02
46	Cleveland	Ohio	9.43	14.80	32.43	0.30	16.8	260	279	1,025	19.00	46.34	36.37	54	241,368	5.11	66	57.1	44	46.99
47	Arlington	Texas	22.54	22.48	23.36	0.17	17.8	252	269	971	19.40	99.93	51.21	62	380,000	5.07	135	38.1	0	46.41
48	Columbus	Ohio	10.71	24.83	24.59	0.23	16.8	260	279	1,025	19.00	47.46	50.47	57	322,398	5.86	72	41.2	30	46.32
49	Tampa	Florida	18.60	25.77	22.47	0.24	17.6	253	267	948	19.00	69.68	54.45	64	356,298	4.87	101	49.5	31	45.92
50	Dallas	Texas	18.67	24.33	20.73	0.22	17.8	252	269	971	19.40	75.56	48.95	63	375,780	3.63	135	46	39	45.88
51	Los Angeles	California	19.10	26.07	18.66	0.19	22.1	254	269	1,086	26.50	55.41	46.17	76	921,789	1.70	147	68.6	53	45.86
52	Long Beach	California	15.69	23.71	18.87	0.18	21.5	254	269	1,086	26.50	69.70	41.42	76	880,000	3.78	159	73.3	49	45.73
53	Reno	Nevada	22.22	25.33	19.94	0.24	20	253	265	1,180	17.20	32.31	54.27	63	440,000	5.14	158	40.2	24	45.68
54	El Paso	Texas	14.40	19.23	25.26	0.16	17.8	252	269	971	19.40	49.62	67.61	56	230,000	5.06	193	40.4	28	45.64
55	Chula Vista	California	18.78	22.34	24.40	0.18	21.5	254	269	1,086	26.50	54.92	43.7	74	850,000	4.12	159	45.6	35	45.39
56	Corpus Christi	Texas	19.33	17.02	28.49	0.22	17.8	252	269	971	19.40	22.83	54.05	56	280,000	7.25	125	40.3	27	45.28
57	Memphis	Tennessee	17.03	16.52	30.13	0.20	17.9	259	276	1,191	18.80	28.27	21.57	52	230,000	3.17	118	35	22	45.12
58	Laredo	Texas	20.00	17.45	23.29	0.15	17.8	252	269	971	19.40	27.65	63.77	49	210,000	3.77	200	36.8	n/a	44.26
59	Toledo	Ohio	12.92	15.59	33.14	0.26	16.8	260	279	1,025	19.00	14.71	31.53	50	200,000	6.28	72	46.4	n/a	44.26
60	Houston	Texas	20.15	22.20	21.42	0.18	17.8	252	269	971	19.40	73.44	36.71	62	261,052	2.86	90	47.5	36	43.38
61	Sacramento	California	11.78	23.70	19.56	0.17	21.9	254	269	1,086	26.50	45.27	50.63	75	580,000	5.07	188	49	34	43.34
62	Tulsa	Oklahoma	19.60	22.66	24.66	0.24	17.5	249	264	966	17.60	30.03	48.06	53	250,000	5.73	127	39	23	43.12
63	Fort Worth	Texas	19.51	21.65	24.85	0.15	17.8	252	269	971	19.40	49.98	56.81	60	350,000	3.01	127	34.9	22	43.11
64	Phoenix	Arizona	20.70	21.96	22.74	0.10	22.5	254	270	1,185	17.70	55.12	47.18	68	458,548	1.35	211	41.4	36	43.04
65	Tucson	Arizona	15.79	18.68	23.43	0.18	22.5	254	270	1,185	17.70	44.69	45.21	60	300,000	4.18	193	43.2	35	42.87
66	San Antonio	Texas	16.06	18.25	27.45	0.17	17.8	252	269	971	19.40	70.70	51.83	59	276,411	2.82	105	36.9	31	42.79
67	Oklahoma City	Oklahoma	23.56	22.46	24.54	0.17	17.5	249	264	966	17.60	30.68	51.43	55	230,000	3.61	139	34.1	17	42.64
68	Santa Ana	California	15.48	13.87	29.27	0.19	22.1	254	269	1,086	26.50	35.46	45.83	75	880,000	1.89	146	67.1	43	42.49
69	Riverside	California	6.94	14.73	29.09	0.21	21.9	254	269	1,086	26.50	48.54	59.76	65	580,718	2.58	184	42.7	30	42.34
70	Anaheim	California	14.70	22.35	21.73	0.17	21.5	254	269	1,086	26.50	51.70	46.82	77	900,000	2.50	146	55.7	34	42.14
71	Fresno	California	12.61	16.26	23.14	0.14	21.9	254	269	1,086	26.50	17.96	43.15	62	360,000	4.26	194	46.6	33	42.09
72	Las Vegas	Nevada	12.23	17.57	29.51	0.15	20	253	265	1,180	17.20	40.40	44.24	64	429,719	5.26	210	42	36	41.78
73	Chandler	Arizona	3.66	30.09	16.85	0.21	22.5	254	270	1,185	17.70	49.37	76.61	60	365,000	2.94	211	35.4	24	40.86
74	Detroit	Michigan	8.79	11.02	32.14	0.14	17.1	255	270	965	24.50	34.97	27.01	53	260,000	6.04	75	51.1	36	40.68
75	Albuquerque	New Mexico	20.33	22.34	23.39	0.20	18.9	245	256	885	20.00	28.62	28.32	56	330,000	8.73	167	42.6	29	39.69
76	North Las Vegas	Nevada	10.55	13.59	30.66	0.17	20	253	265	1,180	17.20	23.39	44.24	61	350,000	1.12	210	42	33	38.62
77	Stockton	California	7.36	16.14	27.40	0.21	21.9	254	269	1,086	26.50	8.12	24.8	64	410,000	2.79	184	43.7	25	37.91
78	Jacksonville	Florida	10.22	22.90	28.14	0.21	17.6	253	267	948	19.00	39.84	43.41	61	347,020	4.25	94	25.6	21	37.66
79	Port St. Lucie	Florida	7.69	17.89	29.35	0.18	17.6	253	267	948	19.00	32.19	64.97	58	310,000	1.92	101	13	36	36.54
80	Bakersfield	California	3.66	14.50	26.95	0.14	22.1	254	269	1,086	26.50	18.14	41.62	63	350,000	2.19	191	37.3	25	36.32

Methodology

This study identified the best U.S. cities to live in for attending the best schools by analyzing 17 key metrics across two main categories: quality of schools and life quality. Each metric was assigned a specific weight based on its importance in contributing to excellent education and a comfortable living environment. Scores for each factor were scaled from 0 to 100, with 100 representing the best performance.

Here are the factors, along with their respective weights:

Quality of Schools – 60%

Share of schools with A Niche Grade – 15%

% of population with Bachelor’s degree or higher – 7%

% of population with High School Graduation – 7%

Number of Libraries – 6%

Pupil to Teacher Ratio – 5%

Grade 8 Reading Score – 5%

Grade 8 Math Score – 5%

SAT Scores – 5%

ACT Scores – 5%

Life Quality – 40%

Share of 5-Star Living Reviews – 5%

Safety levels – 5%

Cost-of-living – 5%

Housing affordability – 5%

Number of parks – 5%

Clear days (sunshine) – 5%

Walk score – 5%

Transit score – 5%

Sources: Niche, Census, Maps, NCES, NAEP, College Board, Numbeo, Zillow, TPL, Current Results, Walk Score, AllTransit