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Maryland ranks fifth in education, according to a yearly assessment released by "Education Week."
The report assigns a grade to each state, and Maryland earned a "B."
Maryland was ranked fourth last year and third in 2015.
RELATED: Maryland schools drop to 4th in 'Education Week' ranking
Only nine states received a grade of "B minus" or higher. No states received an "A" or "A minus" grade.
The national average is a "C," with Massachusetts receiving the highest ranking and Nevada the lowest.
Maryland did the best when it came to school spending and distribution of funds, but fell short in areas of K-12 achievement, which looks at subjects like reading and math performance as well as high school graduation rates.
Maryland earned a "C plus" in current performance and a "C" in the state's improvement in those areas over time.
The full report can be viewed here.
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