Maryland Schools were ranked #1 for the fifth year in a row in a recent report by Education Week.

Education Week does a “Quality Counts” tally, focusing on six categories but using over 100 indicators, and Maryland’s B+ grade tops the list.

Massachusetts, New York, and Virginia were close behind with B grades.

Education Weekly says the grades are based on:

Chance for Success; K-12 achievement; standards, assessments, and accountability; the teaching profession; school finance; and transitions and alignment. Most of the indicators that appear in Quality Counts are based on original analyses and state-survey data from the EPE Research Center, supplemented by information published by other organizations.

Maryland placed third in 2008, but then took the top spot in 2009, and has remained there for the last five years.

State Superintendent Dr. Lillian M. Lowery said about Maryland Schools,

“Every child, every parent, and every educator in Maryland has the right and expectation to have a world-class school in their neighborhood or where they work,” Dr. Lowery said. “Education Week’s analysis of our work illuminates many positives, but we also know where we need to improve. We’ll use this, and other information, to help make certain we have better classrooms for every student.”

Congratulations to Maryland Schools on their top ranking!