UW–Madison is home to the top-ranked school of education in the nation for a second consecutive year, according to the 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Education Graduate Schools rankings published on Tuesday.
The UW–Madison School of Education is solely at the top of this year’s U.S. News education school rankings, after tying for No. 1 in 2024 with Teachers College, Columbia University.
In addition to the overall ranking, 11 graduate programs housed within the UW–Madison School of Education were also highly rated by U.S. News. That includes No. 1 rankings in Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Psychology, and Rehabilitation Counseling.
“This recognition further reinforces UW-Madison’s national reputation as the place to be for outstanding scholarship in education,” says UW–Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin. “And while I’m proud of the ranking, I am even prouder of the enduring partnership among our School of Education faculty, staff, students, alumni, and leaders who share a commitment to excellence and innovation. Their work in teaching, research, and public service will continue to change lives across Wisconsin and the nation.”
Although being ranked No. 1 for two straight years is a first for UW–Madison’s School of Education, it has consistently been rated among the very best in the nation for more than two decades. The School of Education has been ranked in the top 10 by U.S. News in 25 of its past 26 rankings — and it has been ranked in the top five for 12 straight years.
Marcelle Haddix, dean of the School of Education, says the rankings are a reflection of the range of highly respected programs across the School, and the important and outstanding work being done by faculty, staff, students, and alumni.
“Although these rankings are just one measure of our School, they affirm our commitment to being a national leader in addressing the top issues facing the field of education and beyond,” says Haddix. “From our innovative program aimed at addressing Wisconsin’s teacher shortage to our academic excellence, high-quality research, and community engagement on important issues including literacy and student mental health, our School is committed to creating a better future for all.”
U.S. News & World Report ranks nine graduate program specialty areas in the education realm each year — and once again, the UW–Madison School of Education has programs ranked in the top 15 in all nine areas: No. 1 in Curriculum and Instruction; No. 1 in Educational Psychology; No. 3 in Elementary Teacher Education; No. 4 in Educational Administration; No. 4 in Education Policy; No. 4 in Secondary Teacher Education; No. 6 in Special Education; No. 6 in Student Counseling; and No. 11 in Higher Education Administration.
In U.S. News’ rankings of top health programs, UW–Madison is home to the No. 1-ranked Rehabilitation Counseling program (housed in the School’s Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education) and the No. 9 Occupational Therapy program (housed in the School’s Department of Kinesiology).
Explore all of the UW–Madison School of Education’s graduate programs.
Like the School of Education as a whole, the Department of Educational Psychology has consistently ranked among the very best in the nation. This year marks the eighth time since 2014 that it has been home to the top-ranked Educational Psychology program.
“This achievement recognizes our commitment to enhance the understanding of human behavior, learning, and mental health, along with the use of sophisticated data analysis tools that drive those findings to be shared across Wisconsin and beyond,” says Jennifer Asmus, professor and chair of the Department of Educational Psychology. “This ranking reflects decades of shared commitment by our faculty to engage in rigorous, innovative, and impactful scholarship, mentorship, and teaching that is truly driven by a focus on collaboration, service, and community. Our students, staff, and alumni all play a critical role in working with us in collaboration toward this achievement.”
Adds Asmus: “This continued recognition is confirmation of what I see and hear continually from students, faculty, and alumni about the true value of our efforts to contribute to understand, examine, and enhance fundamental aspects of everyday life across the lifespan.”
The Department of Curriculum and Instruction has been home to a top-five Curriculum and Instruction program every year for more than two decades. And in these most recent rankings, it is back at No. 1 for the first time since 2021.
“The Department of Curriculum and Instruction has a long history of providing world-class programs for undergraduates and graduate students, and engaging in field-defining research on teaching, learning, and designing for learning,” says Leema Berland, professor and chair of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, which is also home to the No. 3 Elementary Teacher Education program and the No. 4 Secondary Teacher Education program. “This year is no different and we are honored to carry on our long-standing traditions of excellence.”
The health specialty area of Rehabilitation Counseling isn’t rated by U.S. News every year. However, each time that category has been ranked since 2016, UW–Madison has been No. 1. Broadly, the goal of rehabilitation counseling is to help people living with disabilities and chronic illnesses achieve their life goals through counseling and case management.
“We are honored and grateful for this recognition as it reflects the unwavering commitment and excellence of our faculty, staff, students, and alumni, who work tirelessly every day to enhance outcomes for individuals with disabilities in our society,” says Kimber Wilkerson, a professor and chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education.
How the rankings are calculated
Writing about the methodology for its Best Education Graduate Schools rankings, U.S. News & World Report explains: “Graduate programs in education can prepare students for leadership roles at colleges, universities, state and local governments, K-12 schools, and nonprofits. To assist in the search for the best fit program, U.S. News evaluated education schools on research activity, academic excellence of entering students, faculty resources, and opinions on program quality from education school deans and school hiring professionals.”
To calculate its overall 2025 Best Education Graduate Schools rankings, U.S. News & World Report sent surveys to 476 institutions that grant doctoral education degrees. Of those, 267 responded to the survey, allowing U.S. News to collect statistical and reputational data.
U.S. News & World Report derived each education school’s overall rank by scoring it on nine distinct ranking factors that broadly cover: research activity (total research expenditures and average expenditures per faculty member); quality assessment (peer assessments and educational professional assessments); faculty resources (total doctoral degrees granted, faculty-to-student ratio, percentage of faculty with awards, and graduate degrees granted-to-faculty ratio); and student selectivity (acceptance rate). Learn more about the methodology here.
The UW–Madison School of Education has a long history of excelling in research and being highly respected by its peers in the field. The School has similarly recruited, retained, and supported excellent faculty and consistently attracted outstanding students to its programs.
Education program specialty rankings, U.S. News & World Report explains, are based solely on nominations by education school deans and deans of graduate studies at education schools from the list of schools surveyed. They selected up to 15 top programs in each specialty area.
Similarly, rankings related to health programs came from surveys provided by program directors and faculty in health disciplines.