Entertainment TV 'Abbott Elementary' 's First Season Earns a Perfect 100 Percent Score from Critics on Rotten Tomatoes Abbott Elementary follows a dedicated group of Philadelphia-based teachers and their daily lives working at one of the worst public schools in the country By Nicholas Rice Nicholas Rice Instagram Twitter Nicholas Rice is an Associate Editor for PEOPLE Magazine. He began working with the brand as an Editorial Intern in early 2020, before later transitioning to a freelance role, and then staff positions soon after. Nicholas writes and edits anywhere between 7 to 9 stories per day on average for PEOPLE, spanning across each vertical the brand covers. Nicholas has previous work experience with Billboard, POPSUGAR, Bustle and Elite Daily. When not working, Nicholas can be found playing with his 5 dogs, listening to pop music or eating mozzarella sticks. People Editorial Guidelines Published on April 15, 2022 09:54 AM Share Tweet Pin Email The cast of Abbott Elementary. Photo: Pamela Littky/ABC via Getty Abbott Elementary has scored one exciting feat! The ABC series has earned a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes, becoming one of the highest-rated television shows on the critic website. "Abbott Elementary earns top marks for its empathetic yet sidesplitting critique of the U.S. education system, plus some extra credit for a deftly handled will-they-won't-they dynamic," Rotten Tomatoes said about the series. The website bases its rankings on reviews made by film and television critics. The show currently has a 100 percent score on the website's Tomatometer with 36 reviews from critics, and a 90 percent score from audiences. That high score puts the series in great company. Other television shows that also scored higly including AMC's Breaking Bad, Comedy Central's Broad City and NBC's Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Sheryl Lee Ralph with her Abbott Elementary costars, Quinta Brunson and Tyler James Williams. Gilles Mingasson/abc Abbott Elementary's Quinta Brunson Gets Surprised by 6th Grade Teacher She Named the Series After Abbot Elementary made its debut in December 2021 as a midseason entry. Created by Quinta Brunson, the mockumentary sitcom follows a dedicated group of Philadelphia-based teachers and their daily lives working at one of the worst public schools in the country. The hit comedy series also stars Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti and Sheryl Lee Ralph. Want to get the biggest stories from PEOPLE every weekday? Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday. Temma Hankin/ABC Sheryl Lee Ralph Says Abbott Elementary Cast 'Fit Together Like a Zipper' Ahead of Season Finale Last month, ABC announced that the series was renewed for another season through a cheeky letter from Principal Ava Coleman, who is played by James. "Faculty and Students (aka My Fans)," the note began. "The camera crew I hired to showcase all that I've made happen at our beautiful school thinks I'm a star. I mean are we surprised? No, we're not :)" "With that said, it is with great pleasure that I share they'll be returning for the 2022-2023 school year!" the letter continued. "That's right – Abbott Elementary Season Two is coming to a screen near you." Ahead of the season finale earlier this month, Ralph spoke to PEOPLE about the series, revealing that the heartwarming on-screen chemistry between the Abbott Elementary characters translates off-camera too. "I've done a lot of series. This does not happen very often to actors," Ralph, 65, said. "You are not often — if ever — put in a group of people who actually like each other, who actually look forward to seeing each other. It's not hype. It's not fake. We fit together like a zipper. We just lock perfectly together, and it is a dream come true for all of us." She went on to explain that she's "not surprised" that Abbott Elementary turned out to be such a success. Recalling a conversation she had with Williams, the actress says they believed it would do well even before it aired. "We were shooting the pilot, and one day the two of us just looked at each other and we said it, 'We have something very special here,'" she recalled. "And the success has not surprised either one of us. We love what we're doing, and it's been an amazing, amazing journey."