How much better is education in Massachusetts than elsewhere?

The #1 industry in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is higher education.  There are something like 200 colleges and universities in eastern Massachusetts alone.

What a child gets out of a K-12 education is just as much a function of the parents as it is the school.  The parents need to be sure the child is actually learning how to read and that they understand the homework assignments they get.  Parents need to know and communicate with their child's teachers.  

With the above being said, what Massachusetts has is a high percentage of highly educated parents, who make sure their child is learning.  I don't think the schools or teachers are that much better than anywhere else, what you have is a higher percentage of parents who care. 

The other thing that Massachusetts has that kids must pass a competency test in order to graduate, called MCAS.  When that was first instituted the passing rate was pretty low as I recall.  Over the years the passing rate as steadily increased and as a result so has the rating of the overall education system in the state.  

Massachusetts is more wealthy, educated, and home to Ivy League schools. People there tend to be more academically skilled than in a state like Arkansas or New Mexico.

MA is ranked 29th in the country for higher education.

They are ranked #1 for K-12. Their math scores are about 5% higher than national average. While comparing a state to countries is not usually accurate for many reasons, they rank about 9th in the world.

I find it very surprising that their higher education system is so low. I guess it's a good model for other states to focus on K-12 and let those those students take their knowledge elsewhere once they get out of HS.

There's not that much difference in education among the states. Most use some version of the Common Core Standards. Mountains of research, some done internationally, show that it's not anything the schools do that makes a difference in test scores. It's the socioeconomic status of the families- partly that reflects how educated the parents are, and how well their children are prepared for school. One study showed that children in middle-class families hear millions more words a year than kids in working class families, which gives them an enormous advantage in language skills before they ever start school. So in places where the parents have, on average, gotten better education, the kids will do better in school and make the schools look good. In areas with large numbers of kids whose parents didn't have educational opportunities, as is the case with many African-Americans, or in agricultural areas where people didn't see the need for much education, the test scores are going to be lower, but that has NOTHING to do with the schools or the teachers. 

i think its good everywhere

It's about 6 better, even more when compared to red states like Alabama.

Depends on if your a Independent thinker

or a damn Socialist trying to become a

Communist.