Best Places to Move for Families & Schools in 2026

Using school scores well

For families, school quality is often the single most important factor in a relocation. This ranking sorts every city in the MoveWiser database by its school score, a 1–10 comparative measure where 10 represents the strongest educational options relative to the rest of the ranked cities.

The score is useful for narrowing a longlist of cities, but it's a city-level measure. Within any city, individual schools vary widely, and the right move is usually driven by a specific district or even a specific school.

District vs. individual school

MoveWiser's school score is a city-wide comparative assessment. It can't tell you whether a particular elementary or high school will fit your child. Once a city reaches your shortlist, you'll want to look at the specific districts and schools you'd actually be zoned for.

School assignment often depends on your exact address, and availability at popular schools can be limited. Treat the score as a signal that a city generally supports strong educational outcomes — then verify at the school level.

A city score is a starting point, not a placement

The good-schools, higher-cost tradeoff

It's a consistent pattern: cities and districts with the best-regarded schools tend to carry higher housing costs, because families compete to live in them. The same dynamic that makes a school district desirable makes it expensive.

This is where comparing the school ranking against the affordability ranking pays off. A city that scores well on both — solid schools without extreme housing costs — is often the best practical value for a family. Each city profile shows both scores together.

International comparisons

MoveWiser ranks cities across multiple countries, and school systems differ enormously in structure, language, and how quality is measured. A score reflects MoveWiser's comparative assessment, not a like-for-like reading of national exam results. When comparing cities across borders, factor in language of instruction and curriculum differences too.

How to use this ranking

If strong schools are your priority, start at the top, then balance each city against cost and commute. The MoveWiser survey can go further — ranking cities against your family's full mix of budget, household, and lifestyle priorities rather than schools alone.