Maryland’s School Rank Falls: What the Numbers Really Say

Maryland has poured billions into its schools, yet a national report shows the state’s education rank dropped from 13th to 20th over ten years. The study, released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, compares preschool attendance, reading and math scores, and graduation rates across states. The report’s main change for Maryland was a lower preschool attendance rate. Other areas, like math and reading proficiency, actually improved in recent years, but the data used are two years old. Maryland’s education chief says the ranking does not capture these gains. Maryland spends more per student than states like Florida, Tennessee, Virginia and Mississippi. In 2024, the average spend was about $20, 000 per pupil compared with roughly $12, 000 in those other states. Despite this spending, Maryland is still behind them on the national list.

State lawmakers reacted in different ways. Some criticized the report as misleading, while others pointed to new state data that shows Maryland students are growing faster than most peers. A governor’s office highlighted a 2025 scorecard that ranked Maryland third in reading growth and fifth in math growth among all states. Opponents of the state’s major education plan, called the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, argue it wastes money and fails to improve outcomes. They say the plan has not delivered on equity promises for Black and Latino students, who lag behind white and Asian peers in reading and math. Supporters of the Blueprint say it is already making progress. They expect higher rankings in coming years as improvements continue and argue that the report’s lagging data masks recent gains. The debate shows a clash between short‑term rankings and long‑term progress. While the national list is easy to read, it may not reflect recent improvements or the broader goals of Maryland’s education investment.

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