The New Lowest-Rated Place in Missouri Got a ‘D’ in Everything

Technically, D is a passing grade, but barely. There's a new king of the lowest-rated places in Missouri and it was rated D in every possible category.

Full Disclosure: I got a 'D' grade once. It was in high school physics. Truthfully, I thought I was gonna flunk and when I asked the teacher why he gave me a 'D', he said that it was because he didn't want to see me again (meaning I'd have to retake his class). For once, being me paid off, but I digress.

I noticed that Niche had just updated all of its Missouri ratings to reflect 2024 data and the results show that only one place in the state got a D in everything. It doesn't look like a D on the surface, but there is lots of trouble here.

This is Hillsdale, the new lowest-ranked place in Missouri. With a population of just 1,191, it's a part of the St. Louis area and it got a D- in its public school rating and a D+ overall. No other place in Missouri can make that claim.

Here are some recent and not-so-recent Hillsdale, Missouri happenings:

You get the idea. It's one of those sad parts of the St. Louis area where residents just do their best to survive. Getting better than a D grade is the least of their concerns.