Schools in Maryland have received another No. 1 national ranking, and one local school system had a big hand in achieving it, according to the AP Report to the Nation.
For the fourth straight year, Maryland high school seniors ranked first in the nation in passing Advanced Placement exams, with 29 percent of graduating seniors passing at least one AP exam with a score of 3 or above last year. The national average was 18 percent.
The numbers were even higher in Montgomery County, where almost half of graduating seniors passed an AP test. Montgomery County students accounted for 32 percent of students who passed a test statewide.
While Maryland did rank No. 1 nationally, there's still some concerns, as school systems in rural areas like Dorchester County do not have enough money to offer AP tests to its students.
Elsewhere in the area, Virginia ranked No. 3 in the nation with 25.6 percent of graduating seniors registering a qualifying score in at least one AP exam. D.C. came in third from the bottom with 6.6 percent of graduating seniors passing an AP exam -- ahead of only Louisiana and Mississippi.
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