Is Colorado 39th Best in School Quality?

Education Week produces an annual report comparing education environments in the various states. The annual report is Quality Counts, and this year the special title is Uncertain Forecast. Much more detail is incorporated in the press release.

Here's the quick summary of grades and ranks for Colorado: (39th Overall)

B 11th/51 "Chance for Success" (a measure of "Cradle to Career" educational excellence.)

D+ 21st/51 "K-12 Achievement"

C 29th/51 "Transitions and Alignment"

D+ 43rd/51 "School Finance"

Overall, Education Week assigns Colorado a low C (73.7%) and ranks Colorado 39th.

Having worked in several of the states that rank above Colorado, my experience doesn't jibe with our ranking. I also disagree with a national ranking of C, so that's a factor.

What do you think? Is Colorado really near the bottom 20% of all states?