MADISON – Researchers at Niche have determined that Madison City Schools ranks as third among 137 school districts in Alabama.

Madison’s ranking is part of the “Best School Districts in Alabama and in the U.S.” study by Niche, a national research group for schools and education. The ranking of number three in the state also gives the Madison district an overall Niche grade of “A+.”

“We are pleased to be recognized by this ‘Best School District’ ranking. It is a testament to the hard work of our teachers and staffs and of the students we serve. We’ll celebrate today while continuing to find ways to improve,” MCS Chief Academic Officer Dr. Heather Donaldson said.

The study awarded an “A” or “A+” letter grade to every category assessed in the district: academics, teachers, clubs and activities, college prep, resources and facilities, sports, health and safety, administration and food. Niche also graded individual schools. Every elementary, middle and high school in Madison City Schools received either an A or A+ grade.

Nationally, Madison placed 159th out of 10,574 “Best in America” school districts covered by the Niche study. “That put Madison in the 1.5 percentile of the nation’s ‘Best in America’ school systems identified by Niche,” MCS Public Relations Manager John Peck said.

The 2018 scoring was based on various factors including test scores, student-teacher ratios and reviews from parents and students. In addition, the Niche team analyzed other data from such sources as National Center for Education Statistics and U.S. Department of Education.

Niche, a web-based analysis of statistics and reviews, ranked Madison as first for Alabama in its “2017 Best Place to Live” listing. To determine the rankings, teams of employees at Niche compiled voluminous data, including census findings, education scorecards and crime reports.

Niche’s top five districts in Alabama are Mountain Brook City Schools as first, Vestavia Hills City Schools as second, MCS, Homewood City Schools and Hoover City Schools.

Athens City Schools received an “A-” grade.  Huntsville City Schools, Madison County Schools and Decatur City Schools earned a “B+” grade. Limestone County Schools received a “C+” on the report.

For more information, visit niche.com/k12/search/best-school-districts/s/alabama/.