Maryland Schools Get Top Ranking Fourth Year Running

Virginia ranks 4th, D.C. 49th

For the fourth year in a row, public schools in Maryland have been given the number one ranking in the U.S. by Education Week magazine. Despite taking the top spot, Maryland schools still didn't get an A.

B+: that's the grade Maryland schools received from Education Week. While that was enough to be tops in the U.S, it still leaves a lot of room for improvement says Maryland governor Martin O'Malley.

"If you look at student achievement, especially in math and science in the United States and benchmark that against kids internationally, you'll see that our kids are up against much stiffer competition than we were when we were in high school or our parents were," says O'Malley. "So being the best in the country isn't good enough."

But O'Malley is proud of the state receiving the number one ranking for four years during the current economic woes. The governor touted the increase in money spent on school construction during his tenure as one reason Maryland has been able to keep the top ranking.

"You do get what you pay for," he says. "And if you want quality teachers in the classroom, you have to be able to pay a competitive salary to keep those teachers in the classroom.  But it's not money alone."

Neighboring Virginia ranked 4th in the country, while D.C. schools came in 49th, ahead of only Nebraska and South Dakota.