Maryland school ratings are lower this year. Is attendance to blame?

There’s a surprising paradox in the 2023 Maryland School Report Card ratings released Wednesday. Across the state, fewer schools received three, four and five stars in the education department’s annual evaluation, even as test scores rose this year. So what happened? Are the state’s schools really getting worse? Probably not. A post-pandemic student slouch may be dragging down the ratings. Even though school attendance is gradually improving, too many students still aren’t showing up regularly.