Montgomery County keeps looking better and better, huh? Education Week has rolled out its annual rankings of the country’s school systems, and for the fifth year running Maryland has placed atop the list, trailed by Virginia in fourth place:

For the fifth year in a row, Maryland posts the nation’s highest overall grade. Scoring 87.5 and earning a B-plus, Maryland finishes 3.4 points ahead of second-place Massachusetts, which is followed by New York and Virginia. For the first time, Kentucky (10th) joins the top-10 states, while Florida (sixth) regains its top-10 ranking after falling to 11th place in 2012. At the other end of the rankings, South Dakota was awarded a grade of D-plus. A majority of states fell near the middle of the grading curve, with 38 states earning grades between a C-minus and a C-plus. The United States as a whole gained a half-point from last year, bringing the national grade up to a C-plus, from a C.

How did D.C. fare? Well, not great, but it’s higher than expected: 45th place, all told. Late last year D.C. was ranked as having the worst graduation rates in the country. Of course, the usual disclaimer is necessary: D.C. is an all-urban school system, so it can’t easily be compared to states where schools can be urban, suburban and rural.

According to a U.S. News & World Report ranking from 2012, 62 schools in Maryland made the list of the best in the country, and of those, the top eight were located in Montgomery County. According to Education Week, Maryland scored best on early education programs and work-force preparation programs.