Behind the rankings: How it was determined Oklahoma is 50th in education

When the financial services website WalletHub announced its annual list of states’ education systems, Oklahoma’s ranking became instantly quotable by politicians on all sides.

The site listed Oklahoma nearly dead last at 50th in the nation, including the District of Columbia; only New Mexico ranked lower at 51st.

WalletHub’s ranking system synthesizes 15 education-related metrics into a quality score worth 80 points using test scores, graduation rates, teacher certification, and more. An add...