The best school districts in the US with affordable real estate are clustered in just 3 states
- For anyone looking to buy a house, the quality of the local school district is often an important consideration.
- SmartAsset looked into the best school districts with affordable homes. Its data shows that three states are clearly a best bet: All of the top 10 school districts were in Texas, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.
- Six of the top 10 spots on the list of best school districts to buy an affordable home went to Texas. Pennsylvania and Wisconsin each had two school districts in the top 10.
- Read more personal finance coverage.
Whether you have kids or not, a home's school district is an essential consideration when shopping.
There's a good reason why home listings generally tout the school district. According to data from the National Association of Realtors, home values inside of a top-rated school district were 49% higher than the national median home price in 2016.
Financial technology company SmartAsset compiled a list of the best school districts in the US using information from the National Center for Education Statistics and the Department of Education for statistics on things like high school graduation rates, English and math proficiency, and student to teacher ratio. The study also looked at crime rates and incomes with data from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. Then, the districts were ranked by an index that considers all these factors. To only look at affordable areas, the study ruled out school districts in counties where the median home value is four or more times higher than the median household income.
SmartAsset found that the top 10 school districts to buy an affordable home are clustered in three states: Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin.
The best overall school district with affordable real estate is Plano Independent School District in Collin County, Texas. Other school districts in Texas that made the top 10 list are Georgetown Independent Schools and Round Rock Independent Schools in Williamson County, Denton Independent Schools and Lewisville Independent Schools in Denton County, and Wichita Falls Independent Schools in Wichita County.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's school district took fifth place nationwide, and Lancaster School District in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania also took a top spot.
In Wisconsin, Sheboygan Area School District took fourth place nationwide as the most affordable and best school district to buy a home in. Racine Unified School District in Racine County, Wisconsin also made the top 10.
While school districts aren't the only factor that has a big impact on home prices, they can be a large part of the value of the house. While you also may pay more up front for a house in a good school district, it could be a big benefit when it comes time to sell.
- More personal finance coverage
- What's the best airline credit card?
- The best cash back credit cards
- Are CDs a good investment?
- When to save money in high-yield savings
- Best rewards credit cards