MADISON – Reaching top grades across the board, Madison City Schools climbed to the number-one district in the state of Alabama in a recent study.

“Every single one of our schools was in the top 10, out of hundreds of schools statewide,” MCS Superintendent Dr. Ed Nichols said. “This is outstanding and the result of true community and MCS districtwide efforts.”

The NICHE firm is a market leader in connecting colleges and schools with students and families. NICHE bases its findings on in-depth profiles of every school and college in America, more than 140 million reviews and ratings.

The report by NICHE placed Madison City Schools as the top system out of 138 school districts statewide. MCS is ranked 57th best of 10,571 school systems nationwide. Individual schools in Madison also rated in superior levels, all in the top tier, in the NICHE report.

The seven MCS elementary schools all landed in the top 10 of the school rankings: Mill Creek at third; Horizon, fourth; Heritage, fifth; Columbia, sixth; Midtown, eighth; Madison elementary; and Rainbow, tenth. Those results originated with 741 elementary schools ranked statewide.

Discovery Middle School placed first, and Liberty Middle School registered as fifth in 397 middle schools ranked statewide. James Clemens High School placed sixth, and Bob Jones High School received ninth out of 365 Alabama high schools.

Nichols said all residents of Madison can be proud of achieving these ratings.

“The straight-A performance by our schools affirms that no matter where one lives in Madison, they are zoned for a quality school,” MCS Public Relations Manager John Peck said.

“Certainly, administrators, teachers and support staff in our schools deserve much of the credit. They are where the learning happens every day,” Nichols said. “It’s also a reflection of the great parents and kids we have in the district and an administrative team and board that continuously looks for ways to improve.”

Nichols also credited the past and current school boards and community leaders for decisions that support an incredible curriculum for all students.

NICHE bases its annual evaluations using state test scores, college readiness, graduation rates, SAT/ACT scores, teacher quality and public school and district ratings, along with opinions from parents and students.

For more information, visit niche.com.