Maryland receives mixed rankings for education and labor laws

Maryland has received contrasting evaluations in two recent reports regarding its public systems. According to a 2026 ranking by ConsumerAffairs, Maryland placed 12th nationally for its public education system. While the state showed strength in school funding, ranking 8th, and higher education, ranking 10th, it saw a significant decline in school safety, dropping from 24th in 2025 to 48th in 2026.

In contrast, the Commonwealth Foundation’s fifth annual 50-State Labor Report assigned Maryland an F grade for its public-sector labor laws. The report, which evaluates criteria such as collective bargaining and union certification, placed Maryland among six states at the bottom of the rankings. This assessment comes despite recent legislative actions in Maryland that expanded collective bargaining rights for certain government employees, including graduate assistants at the University of Maryland, College Park and UMBC.