Ryan Walters has stepped down from his role as Oklahoma’s top education official after almost three years of service.
His time as state schools superintendent has been defined by “never-ending scandal and political drama,” as Attorney General Gentner Drummond said following Walters’ announcement. Walters gained national attention for his efforts to require public schools to teach biblical stories and for his order that every district’s classroom keep a copy of the Bible, among other initiatives.
Several rankings, including U.S. News, WalletHub and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, have placed Oklahoma routinely among the lowest states for education quality since the start of Walters’ term, which doubles as the end of term for his predecessor, Joy Hofmeister.
Since Walters entered the position, the ranking has not fared positively, though the state has never received particularly high marks.
Here’s what to know about Oklahoma’s education ranking over the last few years.
Oklahoma education rankings
When Walters entered the position in 2023, the Annie E. Casey Foundation had ranked Oklahoma’s K-12 education system 45th in the nation in 2022, which is the earliest available data.
At this point, Oklahoma only had a lead on New Mexico, which was ranked 50th overall.
Walters served as the Secretary of Education from September 2020 to April 2023. While in this role, Walters was not leading the state’s education department but did have advisory contact with Gov. Kevin Stitt, and the position exists as a complement to the state superintendent position.
Joy Hofmeister served two terms as Oklahoma’s Superintendent of Public Instruction from 2015 to 2023, and Walters took office as state schools superintendent in January 2023.
The ranking dipped to 49th in 2023 and 2024, then rose to 48th in 2025.
Other ranking sites reflected similar scores. U.S. News and World Report also continued to rank the state low on the totem pole, with the most recent ranking placing Oklahoma in 48th position.
The national website said specifically that Pre-K-12 education is among the worst in the nation, while higher education sits at 31st. Nonetheless, the school graduation rate and NAEMP Math Scores at below the benchmark.
In alignment, WalletHub has continually ranked Oklahoma among the worst as well. For the last three consecutive years, the survey company has ranked Oklahoma as the second-to-worst state for education.
What began in 2023, has been upheld since then, with the newest list in 2025 still ranking Oklahoma at 50 out of 51 areas. The study includes Washington, D.C., in the national comparison.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: How did Oklahoma’s education ranking change during Ryan Walters’ tenure?