How to find a schools rating: School Ratings & Reviews for Public & Private Schools: GreatSchools

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– Any -A Center for Creative EducationAcademy Del Sol, Inc.Academy of Building Industries, Inc.Academy Of Excellence, Inc.Academy of Mathematics and Science South, Inc.Academy of Mathematics and Science, Inc.Academy of Tucson, Inc.Academy with Community Partners IncAccelerated Elementary and Secondary SchoolsAccelerated Learning Center, Inc.Accelerated Learning Charter School, Inc.Acclaim Charter SchoolAcorn Montessori Charter SchoolAgua Fria Union High School DistrictAguila Elementary DistrictAhwatukee Foothills Prep Early College High School, Inc.Ahwatukee Foothills Prep, Inc.AIBT Non-Profit Charter High School – PhoenixAIBT Non-Profit Charter High School, Inc.Ajo Unified DistrictAkimel O’Otham Pee Posh Charter School, Inc.Alhambra Elementary DistrictAll Aboard Charter SchoolAllen-Cochran Enterprises, Inc.Alpine Elementary DistrictAltar Valley Elementary DistrictAmbassador AcademyAmerican Basic Schools LLCAmerican Charter Schools Foundation d. b.a. Alta Vista High SchoolAmerican Charter Schools Foundation d.b.a. Apache Trail High SchoolAmerican Charter Schools Foundation d.b.a. Crestview College Preparatory High ScAmerican Charter Schools Foundation d.b.a. Desert Hills High SchoolAmerican Charter Schools Foundation d.b.a. Estrella High SchoolAmerican Charter Schools Foundation d.b.a. Peoria Accelerated High SchoolAmerican Charter Schools Foundation d.b.a. South Pointe High SchoolAmerican Charter Schools Foundation d.b.a. South Ridge High SchoolAmerican Charter Schools Foundation d.b.a. Sun Valley High SchoolAmerican Charter Schools Foundation d.b.a. West Phoenix High SchoolAmerican Heritage AcademyAmerican Leadership Academy, Inc.American Virtual AcademyAmphitheater Unified DistrictAntelope Union High School DistrictAnthem Preparatory AcademyApache Elementary DistrictApache Junction Unified DistrictAprender TucsonArchway Classical Academy AreteArchway Classical Academy ChandlerArchway Classical Academy CiceroArchway Classical Academy GlendaleArchway Classical Academy LincolnArchway Classical Academy North PhoenixArchway Classical Academy ScottsdaleArchway Classical Academy Trivium EastArchway Classical Academy Trivium WestArchway Classical Academy TriviumArchway Classical Academy VeritasArete Preparatory AcademyArizona Academy of Science And Technology, Inc. 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Benjamin Franklin Charter School – Queen CreekBenjamin Franklin Charter SchoolBenson Unified School DistrictBicentennial Union High School DistrictBisbee Unified DistrictBlue Adobe ProjectBlue Elementary DistrictBlue Ridge Unified School District No. 32Blueprint EducationBonita Elementary DistrictBouse Elementary DistrictBowie Unified DistrictBoys & Girls Clubs of the East Valley dba Mesa Arts AcademyBradley Academy of Excellence, Inc.Bright Beginnings School, Inc.Buckeye Elementary DistrictBuckeye Union High School DistrictBullhead City School DistrictCAFA, Inc. dba Learning Foundation and Performing Arts Alta MesaCAFA, Inc. dba Learning Foundation and Performing Arts GilbertCAFA, Inc. dba Learning Foundation Performing Arts SchoolCalibre AcademyCambridge Academy East, IncCamelback Education, IncCamino MontessoriCamp Verde Unified DistrictCamp Verde Unified School District dba South Verde Technology MagnetCandeo Schools, Inc.Canon Elementary DistrictCanyon Rose Academy, Inc.Carden of Tucson, Inc. 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Cottonwood-Oak Creek Elementary DistrictCountry Gardens Charter SchoolsCPLC Community Schools dba Hiaki High SchoolCPLC Community Schools dba Toltecalli High SchoolCrane Elementary DistrictCreate AcademyCreighton Elementary DistrictCrown Charter School, IncCrown King Elementary DistrictDaisy Education Corporation dba Paragon Science AcademyDaisy Education Corporation dba Sonoran Science Academy – AhwatukeeDaisy Education Corporation dba Sonoran Science Academy – PhoenixDaisy Education Corporation dba Sonoran Science Academy EastDaisy Education Corporation dba Sonoran Science AcademyDaisy Education CorporationDaisy Education Corporation dba. Sonoran Science Academy Davis MonthanDaisy Education Corporation dba. Sonoran Science Academy PeoriaDeer Valley Charter Schools, Inc.Deer Valley Unified DistrictDesert Heights Charter SchoolsDesert Rose Academy,Inc.Desert Sky Community School, Inc.Desert Springs AcademyDesert Star AcademyDesert Star Community School, Inc.Destiny School, Inc.Developing Innovations in Navajo Education, Inc. (DINE, Inc.)Discovery Plus AcademyDouble Adobe Elementary DistrictDouglas Unified DistrictDuncan Unified DistrictDysart Unified DistrictE-Institute Charter Schools, Inc.EAGLE College Prep Harmony, LLCEAGLE College Prep II, Inc. dba EAGLE College Prep HarmonyEAGLE College Prep Maryvale, LLCEAGLE College Prep Mesa, LLC.EAGLE South Mountain Charter, Inc.East Mesa Charter Elementary School, Inc.East Valley AcademyEastpointe High School, Inc.Ed AheadEdge School, Inc., TheEdison ProjectEdkey, Inc. – Arizona Conservatory for Arts and AcademicsEdkey, Inc. – Pathfinder AcademyEdkey, Inc. – Redwood AcademyEdkey, Inc. – Sequoia Charter SchoolEdkey, Inc. – Sequoia Choice SchoolsEdkey, Inc. – Sequoia Pathway AcademyEdkey, Inc. – Sequoia Ranch SchoolEdkey, Inc. – Sequoia School for the Deaf and Hard of HearingEdkey, Inc. – Sequoia Village SchoolEducational Impact, Inc.Educational Options FoundationEduPreneurship, Inc.Eduprize Schools, LLCEl Centro for the Study of Primary and Secondary Education, Inc. El Pueblo Integral – Teaching & Learning CollaborativeElfrida Elementary DistrictEloy Elementary DistrictEmploy-Ability Unlimited, Inc.Empower College PrepEsperanza Community Collegial AcademyEspiritu Community Development Corp.Espiritu SchoolsEstrella Educational FoundationEthos Academy – A Challenge Foundation AcademyExcalibur Charter Schools, Inc.Fit Kids, Inc. dba Champion SchoolsFlagstaff Arts And Leadership AcademyFlagstaff Junior AcademyFlagstaff Montessori, L.L.C.Flagstaff Unified DistrictFlorence Crittenton Services of Arizona, Inc.Florence Unified School DistrictFlowing Wells Unified DistrictFoothills AcademyFort Huachuca Accommodation DistrictFort Thomas Unified DistrictFounding Fathers Academies, IncFountain Hills Charter SchoolFountain Hills Unified DistrictFowler Elementary DistrictFranklin Phonetic Primary School, Inc.Fredonia-Moccasin Unified DistrictFreedom Academy, Inc.Friendly House, Inc.Gadsden Elementary DistrictGanado Unified School DistrictGAR, LLC dba Student Choice High SchoolGem Charter School, Inc. Genesis Program, Inc.George Gervin Youth Center, Inc.Gila Bend Unified DistrictGila County Regional School DistrictGilbert Unified DistrictGlendale Elementary DistrictGlendale Preparatory AcademyGlendale Union High School DistrictGlobal Renaissance Academy of Distinguished EducationGlobe Unified DistrictGraham County Special ServicesGrand Canyon Unified DistrictGraysmark Schools CorporationGreat Expectations AcademyGriffin Foundation, Inc. TheHa:san Educational ServicesHackberry School DistrictHappy Valley EastHappy Valley School, Inc.Harvest Power Community Development Group, Inc.Haven Montessori Children’s House, Inc.Hayden-Winkelman Unified DistrictHeber-Overgaard Unified DistrictHeritage Academy Laveen, Inc.Heritage Academy Queen Creek, Inc.Heritage Academy, Inc.Heritage Elementary SchoolHermosa Montessori Charter SchoolHighland Free SchoolHighland PrepHigley Unified School DistrictHillcrest Academy, Inc.Hillside Elementary DistrictHirsch Academy A Challenge FoundationHolbrook Unified DistrictHorizon Community Learning Center, Inc. Humanities and Sciences Academy of the United States, Inc.Humboldt Unified DistrictHyder Elementary DistrictImagine Avondale Elementary, Inc.Imagine Avondale Middle, Inc.Imagine Camelback Middle, Inc.Imagine Charter Elementary at Camelback, Inc.Imagine Charter Elementary at Desert West, Inc.Imagine Coolidge Elementary, Inc.Imagine Desert West Middle, Inc.Imagine Elementary at Tempe, Inc.Imagine Middle at East Mesa, Inc.Imagine Middle at Surprise, Inc.Imagine Prep Coolidge, Inc.Imagine Prep Superstition, Inc.Imagine Prep Surprise, Inc.Imagine Superstition Middle, Inc.Incito SchoolsInnovative Humanities Education CorporationInstitute for Transformative Education, Inc.Integrity Education IncorporatedIntelli-School, Inc.International Commerce Secondary Schools, Inc.Ira H. Hayes Memorial Applied Learning Center, Inc.Isaac Elementary DistrictJ O Combs Unified School DistrictJames Madison Preparatory SchoolJames Sandoval Preparatory High SchoolJoseph City Unified DistrictJuniper Tree AcademyKaizen Education Foundation dba Advance UKaizen Education Foundation dba Colegio Petite ArizonaKaizen Education Foundation dba Colegio Petite PhoenixKaizen Education Foundation dba Discover U Elementary SchoolKaizen Education Foundation dba El Dorado High SchoolKaizen Education Foundation dba Gilbert Arts AcademyKaizen Education Foundation dba Havasu Preparatory AcademyKaizen Education Foundation dba Liberty Arts AcademyKaizen Education Foundation dba Maya High SchoolKaizen Education Foundation dba Mission Heights Preparatory High SchoolKaizen Education Foundation dba Skyview High SchoolKaizen Education Foundation dba South Pointe Elementary SchoolKaizen Education Foundation dba South Pointe Junior High SchoolKaizen Education Foundation dba Summit High SchoolKaizen Education Foundation dba Tempe Accelerated High SchoolKaizen Education Foundation dba Vista Grove Preparatory Academy ElementaryKaizen Education Foundation dba Vista Grove Preparatory Academy Middle SchoolKayenta Unified DistrictKayenta Unified School District #27Kestrel Schools, Inc. Keystone Montessori Charter School, Inc.Khalsa Family ServicesKhalsa Montessori Elementary SchoolsKingman Academy Of LearningKingman Unified School DistrictKirkland Elementary DistrictKyrene Elementary DistrictLa Tierra Community School, IncLake Havasu Unified DistrictLaveen Elementary DistrictLEAD Charter Schools dba Leading Edge Academy Queen CreekLEAD Charter SchoolsLeading Edge Academy MaricopaLeading Edge Academy Queen CreekLegacy Education GroupLegacy SchoolsLegacy Traditional Charter School – Laveen VillageLegacy Traditional Charter School – MaricopaLegacy Traditional Charter SchoolLegacy Traditional Charter Schools – Casa GrandeLegacy Traditional School – AvondaleLegacy Traditional School – Casa GrandeLegacy Traditional School – ChandlerLegacy Traditional School – East MesaLegacy Traditional School – GilbertLegacy Traditional School – GlendaleLegacy Traditional School – MaricopaLegacy Traditional School – North ChandlerLegacy Traditional School – Northwest TucsonLegacy Traditional School – PeoriaLegacy Traditional School – PhoenixLegacy Traditional School – Queen CreekLegacy Traditional School – SurpriseLegacy Traditional School – Laveen VillageLeman Academy of Excellence, Inc. Liberty Elementary DistrictLiberty High SchoolLiberty Traditional Charter SchoolLife Skills Center of Arizona, Inc.Lifelong Learning Research Institute, Inc.Lincoln Preparatory AcademyLitchfield Elementary DistrictLittle Lamb Community SchoolLittlefield Unified DistrictLittleton Elementary DistrictLuz Academy of Tucson, IncMadison Elementary DistrictMadison Highland PrepMaine Consolidated School DistrictMammoth-San Manuel Unified DistrictMarana Unified DistrictMaricopa County Community College District dba Gateway Early College High SchoolMaricopa County Regional DistrictMaricopa County Regional School DistrictMaricopa Unified School DistrictMary C O’Brien Accommodation DistrictMary Ellen Halvorson Educational Foundation. dba: Tri-City Prep High SchoolMaryvale Preparatory AcademyMasada Charter School, Inc.Math and Science Success Academy, Inc.Mayer Unified School DistrictMCCCD on behalf of Phoenix College Preparatory AcademyMcnary Elementary DistrictMcNeal Elementary DistrictMesa Unified DistrictMetropolitan Arts Institute, Inc. Mexicayotl Academy, Inc.Miami Unified DistrictMidtown Primary SchoolMilestones Charter SchoolMingus Springs Charter SchoolMingus Union High School DistrictMobile Elementary DistrictMohave Accelerated Elementary School, Inc.Mohave Accelerated Learning CenterMohave Valley Elementary DistrictMohawk Valley Elementary DistrictMontessori Academy, Inc.Montessori Day Public Schools Chartered, Inc.Montessori Education Centre Charter SchoolMontessori House, Inc.Montessori Schoolhouse of Tucson, Inc.Morenci Unified DistrictMorrison Education Group, Inc.Morristown Elementary DistrictMountain Oak Charter School, Inc.Mountain Rose Academy, Inc.Mountain School, Inc.MultiDimensional Literacy Corp.Murphy Elementary DistrictNaco Elementary DistrictNadaburg Unified School DistrictNavajo County Accommodation District #99New Horizon School for the Performing ArtsNew School for the Arts Middle SchoolNew School For The ArtsNew Visions Academy, Inc.New World Educational CenterNoah Webster Schools – MesaNoah Webster Schools-PimaNogales Unified DistrictNorth Phoenix Preparatory AcademyNorth Star Charter School, Inc. Northland Preparatory AcademyNosotros, IncOmbudsman Educational Services, LTD, a subsidiary of Educational Services of AmeOmbudsman Educational Services, Ltd.,a subsidiary of Educational Services of AmeOmega Alpha AcademyOpen Doors Community School, Inc.Oracle Elementary DistrictOsborn Elementary DistrictOwens School District No.6P.L.C. Charter SchoolsPACE Preparatory Academy, Inc.Page Unified DistrictPainted Desert Demonstration Projects, Inc.Painted Desert Montessori, LLCPainted Pony Ranch Charter SchoolPalo Verde Elementary DistrictPaloma School DistrictPalominas Elementary DistrictPan-American Elementary CharterParadise Valley Unified DistrictParagon Management, Inc.Paragon Preparatory AcademyParamount Education Studies IncPark View School, Inc.Parker Unified School DistrictPAS Charter, Inc., dba Intelli-SchoolPatagonia Elementary DistrictPatagonia Montessori Elementary SchoolPatagonia Union High School DistrictPathfinder Charter School FoundationPathways In Education-Arizona, Inc.Pathways KM Charter Schools, IncPatriot Academy, Inc. Payson Unified DistrictPeach Springs Unified DistrictPEAK School Inc., ThePearce Elementary DistrictPendergast Elementary DistrictPensar AcademyPeoria Unified School DistrictPhoenix Advantage Charter School, Inc.Phoenix Collegiate Academy, Inc.Phoenix Collegiate Academy Elementary, LLCPhoenix Collegiate Academy High LLCPhoenix Education Management, LLC,Phoenix Elementary DistrictPhoenix School of Academic Excellence ThePhoenix Union High School DistrictPicacho Elementary DistrictPillar Charter SchoolPima Accommodation DistrictPima CountyPima Prevention Partnership dba Pima Partnership AcademyPima Prevention Partnership dba Pima Partnership School, ThePima Prevention PartnershipPima Rose Academy, Inc.Pima Unified DistrictPine Forest Education Association, Inc.Pine Strawberry Elementary DistrictPinnacle Education-Casa Grande, Inc.Pinnacle Education-Kino, Inc.Pinnacle Education-Tempe, Inc.Pinnacle Education-WMCB, Inc.Pinon Unified DistrictPioneer Preparatory SchoolPLC Arts Academy at Scottsdale, Inc. Pointe Educational ServicesPomerene Elementary DistrictPortable Practical Educational Preparation, Inc. (PPEP, Inc.)Precision Academy Systems, IncPremier Charter High SchoolPrescott Unified DistrictPrescott Valley Charter SchoolPresidio SchoolPS Charter Schools, Inc.Quartzsite Elementary DistrictQueen Creek Unified DistrictRay Unified DistrictRed Mesa Unified DistrictRed Rock Elementary DistrictReid Traditional Schools’ Painted Rock Academy Inc.Reid Traditional Schools’ Valley Academy, Inc.Research Based Education CorporationRidgeline Academy, A Challenge Foundation AcademyRidgeline Academy, Inc.Rising Schools, Inc.Riverside Elementary DistrictRoosevelt Elementary DistrictRosefield Charter Elementary School, Inc.Round Valley Unified DistrictRSD Charter School, Inc.Sacaton Elementary DistrictSaddle Mountain Unified School DistrictSafford Unified DistrictSage Academy, Inc.Sahuarita Unified DistrictSalome Consolidated Elementary DistrictSalt River Pima-Maricopa Community SchoolsSan Carlos Unified DistrictSan Fernando Elementary DistrictSan Simon Unified DistrictSan Tan Montessori School, Inc. Sanders Unified DistrictSanta Cruz Elementary DistrictSanta Cruz Valley Opportunities in Education, Inc.Santa Cruz Valley Unified DistrictSanta Cruz Valley Union High School DistrictSatori, Inc.SC Jensen Corporation, Inc. dba Intelli-SchoolScience Technology Engineering and Math ArizonaScottsdale Country Day SchoolScottsdale Preparatory AcademyScottsdale Unified DistrictSedona Charter School, Inc.Sedona-Oak Creek JUSD #9Self Development Academy-PhoenixSelf Development Charter SchoolSeligman Unified DistrictSentinel Elementary DistrictShonto Governing Board of Education, Inc.Show Low Unified DistrictSierra Vista Unified DistrictSkull Valley Elementary DistrictSkyline Gila River Schools, LLCSkyline Schools, Inc.Skyview School, Inc.Snowflake Unified DistrictSolomon Elementary DistrictSomerton Elementary DistrictSonoita Elementary DistrictSonoran Desert SchoolSonoran Science Academy – BroadwaySouth Phoenix Academy Inc.South Valley Academy, Inc.Southern Arizona Community Academy, Inc.Southgate Academy, Inc. Southwest Leadership AcademySt David Unified DistrictSt Johns Unified DistrictStanfield Elementary DistrictStarShine AcademySTEP UP Schools, Inc.Stepping Stones AcademyStrengthBuilding PartnersSuccess SchoolSunnyside Unified DistrictSuperior Unified School DistrictSynergy Public School, Inc.SySTEM SchoolsTanque Verde Unified DistrictTeleos Preparatory AcademyTelesis Center for Learning, Inc.Tempe Preparatory AcademyTempe Preparatory Junior AcademyTempe School DistrictTempe Union High School DistrictThatcher Unified DistrictThe Charter Foundation, Inc.The Farm at Mission Montessori AcademyThe French American School of ArizonaThe Grande Innovation AcademyThe Odyssey Preparatory Academy, Inc.The Paideia Academies, IncThe Shelby SchoolThink Through AcademyTolleson Elementary DistrictTolleson Union High School DistrictToltec School DistrictTombstone Unified DistrictTonto Basin Elementary DistrictTopock Elementary DistrictTriumphant Learning CenterTrivium Preparatory AcademyTuba City Unified School District #15Tucson Collegiate Prep, Inc. Tucson Country Day School, Inc.Tucson International Academy, Inc.Tucson Preparatory SchoolTucson Small School ProjectTucson Unified DistrictTucson Youth Development/ACE Charter High SchoolTwenty First Century Charter School, Inc. Bennett AcademyUnion Elementary DistrictVail Unified DistrictValentine Elementary DistrictValley of the Sun Waldorf Education Association, dba Desert Marigold SchoolValley Union High School DistrictVechij Himdag Alternative School, Inc.Vector School District, Inc.Veritas Preparatory AcademyVernon Elementary DistrictVictory Collegiate Academy CorporationVictory High School, Inc.Villa Montessori Charter SchoolVision Charter School, Inc.Visions Unlimited Academy, Inc.Vista Charter SchoolVista College Preparatory, Inc.Washington Elementary School DistrictWellton Elementary DistrictWenden Elementary DistrictWest Gilbert Charter Elementary School, Inc.West Gilbert Charter Middle School, Inc.West Valley Arts and Technology Academy, Inc.Western School of Science and Technology, Inc. Westwind Children’s ServicesWestwind Middle School AcademyWhiteriver Unified DistrictWickenburg Unified DistrictWillcox Unified DistrictWilliams Unified DistrictWilson Elementary DistrictWindow Rock Unified DistrictWinslow Unified DistrictYarnell Elementary DistrictYavapai Accommodation School DistrictYoung Elementary DistrictYoung Scholars Academy Charter School Corp.Yucca Elementary DistrictYuma Elementary DistrictYuma Private Industry Council, Inc.Yuma Union High School District

How do you find the NC public school that will be best for your child?

Families relocating around North Carolina with school-age children often base their decisions on the quality of the schools in the area, but getting accurate and fair information about those schools creates challenges.

When it comes to choosing a school, parents and guardians can easily become overwhelmed by the amount of choices and information available – or even by just beginning the search.

To make it even more confusing, many websites with supposedly helpful information are out of date, difficult to find or compare different data to rate schools.

Standardized test scores

For families interested in standardized test scores, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction has a data and statistics page on its website that contains SAT reports dating to 1995 as well as Advanced Placement reports from 2013 onward.

Clicking on the 2018 SAT link, for example, brings up the option of opening an Excel file sorting the performance data by district and school or downloading a PDF, “North Carolina Public Schools Overview 2017-18.” The overview compares SAT, AP and PSAT/NMSQT data by gender, race and ethnicity. It compares state data to those of the United States.

The district and school performance chart goes into greater local detail. School districts are listed in alphabetical order with the school names listed below the district headings. The number of public school students tested is provided, as well as the percentage tested and information for Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and Math.

NC school report cards

There are two versions of NC School Report Cards – a colorful, interactive option designed to be “citizen-friendly” plus a “more analytic section” with deeper data, according to the site.

In the interactive version, a map shows each county. Users can click on the county they’re interested in to see a list of schools. They can also search by districts or schools.

Each school is given a letter grade and a performance grade score. Users can see schools’ historic performance data and academic growth. End-of-grade math and reading grades are also given. Parents can see the number of classroom teachers, how many have achieved National Board certification, the teacher turnover rate and more. Similar information is provided for principals. Student attendance data and other information are also available.

Independent school ratings online

GreatSchools.org lets parents search for schools by city, address, ZIP code or school name, or simply search for schools by state.

Schools are ranked on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 through 4 being below average, 5 and 6 being average, and 7 and above designated as above average. Clicking on a school’s name shows how it rates in academics, equity and environment, which includes the school’s neighborhood, discipline and attendance.

Parents can see the schools on a sidebar list and located on a map and click to see homes available for purchase in the area. The website also contains school ratings and reviews, advice for parents, a podcast, worksheets and more.

Niche provides rankings for private and public schools, including lists for the best schools in particular states and cities. The site provides several lists, including the “best college prep public high schools,” “most diverse school districts” and “safest school districts.”

Niche uses data in addition to reviews from students, parents and teachers at the schools to try and provide an analytic yet organic approach to ranking schools. The site ranks schools and districts as well as provides letter grades. For example, Graham County Schools got a B+ and is ranked as the 32nd-best school district in the state.

(The top three it names are Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Polk County Schools and Union County Public Schools.)

Social media and direct engagement

Many schools post on social media, and parents and guardians are welcome to attend open school board meetings.

For those who are unable to attend, many school boards post videos of their meetings online, though not all districts do.

Community members often leave comments and reviews on Facebook that might give potential students an idea of how current and past students liked the school.

Factors about a school to consider

Equity has been a growing focus among North Carolina school districts in the last several years. In 2013, the Wake County Public School System formed the Office of Equity Affairs. It works with several community organizations to seek advice and find solutions.

In February, Jeff Nash, executive director of community relations for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools district, told Carolina Public Press that the district had one of the only full-time equity directors in the state. The district was making efforts to close a gap between black and white students’ achievement rates. According to a paper from the Stanford Center for Education Policy Analysis published last year, Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools had the second-largest achievement gap in the nation, while Asheville City Schools had the fifth-largest.

Parents and guardians may also want to look into average SAT scores at a school on their list. Others may want to contact the schools to ask about the safety measures they employ.

Some schools offer particular programs students may find beneficial. For example, parents can look for a school with an International Baccalaureate program within North Carolina or other states by using the search function on the IB’s website.

Are you getting the whole picture?

According to NC School Report Cards, five of Craven County’s 25 public schools received a D for 2018. Twelve schools received a grade of C, six received a B, and only two were given an A.

Five D grades and 12 C grades could lead parents to believe that the schools have some serious problems.

But parents who look at GreatSchools would find that three of the county’s schools received a score of 9 out of 10 and are designated as above average schools.

The three above average schools that received a 9 out of 10 are Arthur W. Edwards Elementary, W. Jesse Gurganus Elementary and Creekside Elementary — all of which were given a B by the report card system.

Looking at the two schools in the district that received an A from Report Cards, the situation is reversed. Craven Early College High and Early College EAST High each only received a 6 out of 10 – average – score from GreatSchools.

In Franklin County, Bunn Elementary received a B from Report Cards but a 4 – below average from GreatSchools.

Some marks are fairly consistent – for example, Surry Early College in Dobson receives a nine from GreatSchools and an A from Report Cards – but there are instances of clear disparities between the scores.

Parents relying solely on one source might get a wholly different perspective of a school or district than they might if they checked a separate source.

Where to start?

Lynn Edmonds, outreach director for the nonprofit Public Schools First NC, warned about relying too heavily on certain ratings.

“I can say the N.C. school letter grades are definitely not giving parents the full picture,” she warned, noting that a common criticism of the system is that the grade is based 80 percent on student test scores and only 20 percent on growth.

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“It’s very misleading and it’s actually very shaming to call a school a D or an F school because it doesn’t tell you how hard the teachers are working or the gains the students are making,” Edmonds said.

She also noted that the ratings are often related to poverty.

“D to F schools very often are high-poverty schools with a significant number of children of color,” Edmonds said.

Edmonds noted that some districts, such as Wake County, publish progress reports on their websites, letting parents access information from the district itself.

The best way to get information? Visit the school, Edmonds suggested.

“I think it’s about the culture of the building,” Edmonds said. “You’ve got to visit the school to get a feel for that. I think that’s the No. 1 thing, to actually try to visit the school and not put too much initial emphasis into those things you might find online.”

While academics are important and online ratings and data can help form a decision, Edmonds said there is more to consider.

“We as an organization are trying to encourage parents to think about the whole child. And not everything that they’re going to learn, especially in well-integrated public schools, is something that’s going to show up in an SAT score or bubble test result and grade,” Edmonds said.

“There are many benefits to school besides the AP and SAT score and academics. We encourage parents to put weight into that, too – not that academics aren’t important, but there’s more to it.”

You can strengthen independent, in-depth and investigative news for all of North Carolina

Carolina Public Press is transforming from a regionally focused nonprofit news organization to the go-to independent, in-depth and investigative news arm for North Carolina. You are critical to this transformation — and the future of investigative and public interest reporting for all North Carolinians.

Unlike many others, we aren’t owned by umbrella organizations or corporations. And we haven’t put up a paywall — we believe that fact-based, context-rich watchdog journalism is a vital public service.  But we need your help. Carolina Public Press’ in-depth, investigative and public interest journalism takes a lot of money, persistence and hard work to produce. We are here because we believe in and are dedicated to the future of North Carolina.

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| SchoolSparrow.com

THOUSANDS OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS
ARE UNFAIRLY UNDERRATED

School ratings are not communicating what parents think they are communicating

The school ratings you see on all the major real estate search portals are misleading. The reason is that test scores are a major factor in those ratings. But research has shown that test scores are 70-80% attributed to PARENT INCOME, not school quality.

As a result, schools where parents have high incomes tend to get high scores, and schools where parents have diverse or low to moderate incomes get low scores.

Some of the best schools, where there is a strong culture of inclusion and excellence, with high morale, low teacher turnover, and students that are beating expectations, are overlooked by parents because of these unfair ratings.

TEST SCORES
AREN’T EVERYTHING

Standardized test results are just one small factor to consider when evaluating if a school is a good fit for your kids, and perhaps not really that important a factor.

However, if you are going to consider test scores, then our ratings will deliver more truth about school quality than the ratings you see on all the real estate search portals.

A MORE BALANCED VIEW
ON SCHOOL QUALITY

Parents deserve more fair and balanced information about student performance when making the biggest investment of their lives.

That’s why we’ve developed a rating system that uses data science to account for the huge impact that parent incomes have on student test scores.

Our ratings provide more truth about school quality, and they are a better indicator of school’s where the educators are making a difference.

Balanced Data

We control for factors beyond the control of schools and students, like parent income.

Diversity Factors

A diverse community is key to a child’s development. We have a system that supports those environments.

Real Quality

Great schools aren’t just found in high-income zip codes. We help you find real quality schools in any zip code.

THE IMPACT ON COMMUNITIES

Today’s rating system is harming cities across the nation because unfair school ratings are steering parents to other communities where the schools are perceived to be “better”.

When it comes to economic development, unfair school ratings can undermine other efforts aimed at attracting and retaining residents. Particularly when moving to a new community, parents want a score of 7 or better or they won’t consider the school and the home and neighborhood the school serves.

Consider the City of Boston, where the established rating system says there 0 (zero) elementary schools that rate a 7 or above in Boston. Our system identifes dozens of elementary schools in Boston that should rate between 7 and 10, and in fact, these are some of the highest quality schools in the entire Boston Metro Area. What if the general public knew about our ratings? At the moment, parents are being steered away from Boston Proper at least partially due to biased school ratings.

We rank public K-12 Schools by controlling for parent income, the single most influential factor in predicting standardized test performance.

SEARCH SCHOOLS

EDUCATORS LOVE OUR SYSTEM.

OUR APPROACH

“I was absolutely overjoyed to hear that LSES made the Top 30 in the metro Atlanta area. For the past 13 years, the school, its students, staff, and community have been my heart and my reason for getting up every day. While many leaders at high poverty schools complain about the lack of parental support, I had parents who made their children’s education a top priority.

Over 30% of the student body speak a language other than English at home and I always told them that they were smarter than the average kids because not only were they learning to read, write, and compute but they were also learning English at the same time. The kids are amazing!! I also attribute much of the growth that the students made over the years to the fact that we are a family. While we might look different and might not be related, we are family. We celebrated our differences along with the various cultures and languages represented among the students and staff. Our diversity makes us stronger!”

-Mr. Marchant, Principal, Douglas County School System

WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM OUR RATINGS?

FOR CITIES

Are your schools being portrayed fairly to the public? You can take control of the narrative and help parents discover the true quality of your schools. You might know your schools are good, but perception is reality when it comes to people moving to your city.

“When it comes to attracting and retaining talent, schools are possibly the most important factor for a city and their economic development efforts. When school ratings are not truly rating the schools performance it can undercut everything that community is doing.”

Learn More

FOR REALTORS

Now you can help your clients make more informed decisions about school quality when considering a home purchase. Our partner agents can feature their listings on SchoolSparrow. In a listing presentation, that additional exposure could result in more listings falling your way, especially when the home is located in a school boundary that rates high on our system, but low on all the real estate search portals.

We might give preference to real estate agents that have their listings featured on SchoolSparrow, particularly when the schools that serve our developments are underrated.

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FOR SCHOOLS

Is your school being portrayed fairly to the public? Perhaps your own school district is using straight test scores as a measure of student performance, and inadvertently underrating your performance as well. Now you can take control of the narrative and help parents and your school district recognize the quality of education at your

Thank you for the recognition in your article, it’s lifting the spirits of our staff today!

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WE HELP REALTORS GUIDE FAMILIES BETTER.

Our data is truly different, and makes it easier for realtors to avoid common issues like steering as they help families find new homes. Founded by a real estate broker who experienced issues with the way families were being guided through the process of home-buying firsthand at other firms, our technology was developed to ensure transparency and fairness in both real estate and education.

Our school search data is completely free to all families and agents, but we do offer additional agent tools and training to help address systemic issues common in the process of purchasing a home.

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Public School Rankings – Education Ratings for Every School & District – NeighborhoodScout

School Data FAQs

Know how good the public schools and local school districts are before you buy a home or relocate. You can search for and find the best schools in any area of America.

Subscribers get instant access to see where the top school districts are.

What the search provides

Only NeighborhoodScout gives you nationally comparable school rankings based on test scores, so you can directly compare the quality of schools in any location. In fact, our nationally comparable school ratings are patented. We also give you the ability to put in the school quality and class size you want, and the search engine will return the best neighborhoods for education in a list and map your results to the neighborhood level.

We are the only information provider to have this level of search functionality.

We also provide deep and rich information about the schools and districts that best match your criteria.

We provide not only test scores, class sizes, learning environment, types of students, educational expenditures, and more, for almost every school and district, but we also provide exclusive comparative school rankings so users can see exactly how any public school compares with any other, even across state lines – with a directly comparable ranking based on test scores. Our approach is so powerful and so unique that it is patented.

How do we do this? Dr. Schiller, a PhD Geographer and the creator of NeighborhoodScout, developed an exclusive way to compare schools and school districts across state lines based on test scores from the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) federally-mandated state tests, even though the tests are entirely different in every state.

While each state has a different NCLB test that all students must take, a population of randomly selected students in each state also take the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test each year. The NAEP test is the closest thing to a gold standard national test. But not enough students take this test in any one district or school to use it for directly comparing school achievement.

Because it is a national standard, NAEP test scores are comparable across states, but the percentage of students that pass the test in each state varies widely.

For example, only 16% of the students in Mississippi who recently took the NAEP achieved a passing grade, whereas 45% of the students in Massachusetts who took it received a passing grade, even though the test is the same. But compare Mississippi’s passing percentage on the NAEP – 18% – to the nearly 75% of Mississippi students that scored proficient or advanced on Mississippi’s own No Child Left Behind Test. If we based school ratings on just the state test, Mississippi would appear to possibly have the best prepared students in the nation.

So, to make each state’s No Child Left Behind test scores for each district and school comparable to other schools and districts in different states, we subtracted the percentage of students in the state who scored proficient or better from the state-NCLB test from the percentage of students in that state who passed the NAEP, and used this difference (or gap) to align each school and district test scores across the nation. Then we ranked the school districts, and Viola! A curve that brings all districts (and schools) to a nationally comparable rating based on the all-important NCLB tests! This is a first time this has ever been done and it is patent pending! It is really fascinating, and it is exclusive to NeighborhoodScout!

About the school data

The data we use to develop our school rankings and ratings are from each state’s No Child Left Behind Test scores, from each state’s Department of Education and the National Assessment of Educational Progress from the NAEP data, found within the National Center for Education Statistics. Additional details on educational environment, school enrollment, groups by ethnicity/ancestry or economic groups, and school funding, are brought together from the National Center for Education Statistics. Our own patent pending algorithms are used to create nationally comparable school rankings (described above). The NeighborhoodScout search engine is used to calculate the school districts that best match your search criteria, and to map your best neighborhoods for education in any area you choose.

School data reporting from schools to the Federal Government, and what it means for parents

The quality of public schools varies a great deal across America. Because of this, it is always possible that you won’t find any high quality public schools within your search radius. Despite this, NeighborhoodScout lets you see where the best ranking districts and neighborhoods for education are located so that you can make the best possible choice within your specified search area. If you do find only poor-ranking school districts within your search, you will then know that you should consider broadening your search area.

• See 100 Best Performing Public Schools in the U.S.
• See 100 Worst Performing Public Schools in the U.S.
• Top 10 most popular school searches:
  California School Ratings, Texas School Ratings, New York School Ratings, Massachusetts School Ratings, North Carolina School Ratings, Los Angeles School Ratings, Austin School Ratings, Dallas School Ratings, Chicago School Ratings, New Jersey School Ratings
• Also see the highest appreciating cities and safest cities in the U. S.

The Missouri School Rankings Project

Missouri Has an Education Emergency

Missouri schools are failing to teach the core subjects of reading and math and the most recent test scores show that students are falling further behind.

Missouri’s Department of Secondary and Elementary (MO DESE) has not offered the level of transparency regarding student performance that is necessary to create an education system focused on higher standards, reducing achievement gaps, and results-based accountability.

The status quo is leaving thousands of students behind without the fundamental skills to pursue higher education or compete in the modern labor market.

About the Project

In response to DESE’s failure to perform one of its most basic functions, we launched The Missouri School Rankings Project and MoSchoolRankings.org.

The mission of The Missouri School Rankings Project is to make student performance data more transparent by providing parents, policymakers, educators, and taxpayers with access to easy-to-understand information about every Missouri school and school district in order to motivate actions that will result in dramatic reforms to Missouri’s education system.

Why School-level Data Matters

Parents Need Information to Choose

Parents need accurate information to make informed decisions about which school will best serve their children. MoSchoolRankings.org provides a detailed picture of student performance for each school.

Comparison Reveals Problems and Solutions 

The MoSchoolRankings.org comparison tool allows users to compare student performance from up to 3 schools at a time.

By comparing schools that serve similar student populations, we can identify successful schools and learn from them.

The ability to compare individual schools also allows families who are relocating to make informed decisions about which districts or school boundaries to move into. The comparison tool also highlights that many Missouri families, who are not able to move, are trapped in low-performing schools and districts.

Public Rankings Increase Accountability

Accountability is vital to standards-based education reform. Publicly ranking schools make it more difficult to ignore poorly performing schools and schools whose performance is declining. This attention provides an incentive for all those connected with a school to focus on improving student performance and overall outcomes.

The Rankings

Each student performance metric is given a grade of A through F. The grades are combined to produce a grade point average, or GPA. Each school receives a GPA and is then ranked based on that GPA. Information on how grades, GPAs, and ranks are calculated can be found on the Grading Methodology page.

The rankings are based on data from the 2018-19 school year and are calculated using several performance metrics that measure student performance. These metrics are:

• Student performance in ELA and mathematics
• Low-income student performance in ELA and mathematics
• Student growth in ELA and mathematics
• A comparison of student performance in ELA and math to each school or district’s expected performance based on its enrollment of economically disadvantaged students
• 4-year graduation rate
• ACT scores

If multiple schools or districts had the lowest possible score for an item (for example, if 0 percent of their students scored Proficient or higher in math), then they would share a rank.

Key Terms

Definitions and further explanations of the terms used to determine rankings can be found in the glossary section.

Some key terms to understand while exploring the portal are:

Achievement Levels

• Below Basic—the student has only a minimal understanding of the material.
• Basic—the student has a partial understanding of the material.
• Proficient—the student has an adequate understanding and is able to apply subject matter as defined by the Missouri Learning Standards.
• Advanced—the student demonstrates a thorough understanding and ability to apply subject matter.

Academic Growth

A statistical model used to identify differences in student academic growth from one year to the next among schools or districts with similar baseline scores.

Adjusted Achievement 

For each school or district, the percentage of low-income enrollment was multiplied by the baseline rate and subtracted from the baseline. The result is the school’s (or district’s) predicted score. If a school’s (or district’s) expected score is higher than its actual score, it underperformed. If a school’s (or district’s) expected score is lower than its actual score, it overperformed.

Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) and Targeted School Improvement (TSI)

Schools with these designations are low-performing schools. 

Additional Information About Districts and Schools Includes:

• Percent of low-income students
• Percent of students with disabilities
• Full-Time Equivalent teachers
• Average teacher salary
• Total expenditures
• Total expenditures per pupil

About the Research

The Missouri School Rankings Project is led by Show-Me Institute’s Director of Research and Education Policy Dr. Susan Pendergrass. Before joining the Show-Me Institute, Susan Pendergrass was Vice President of Research and Evaluation for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, where she oversaw data collection and analysis and carried out a rigorous research program. Susan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business, with a concentration in Finance, at the University of Colorado in 1983. She earned her Masters in Business Administration at George Washington University, with a concentration in Finance (1992) and a doctorate in public policy from George Mason University, with a concentration in social policy (2002). Susan began researching charter schools with her dissertation on the competitive effects of Massachusetts charter schools. Since then, she has conducted numerous studies on the fiscal impact of school choice legislation. Susan has also taught quantitative methods courses at the Paul H. Nitze School for Advanced International Studies, at Johns Hopkins University, and at the School of Public Policy at George Mason University. Prior to coming to the National Alliance, Susan was a senior policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Education during the Bush administration and a senior research scientist at the National Center for Education Statistics during the Obama administration.

Contact Us about the Project 

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school ratings – Realtor.com Economic Research

September 2, 2022

• The Realtor. com® economics team weekly video update gives you the relevant economic and real estate information you need to know to navigate the housing market as a homebuyer, home seller, or industry professional.
• This week, Manager of Economic Research George Ratiu about new data showing economic resilience. He points to job openings which saw the first increase in 4 months, as well as the over 4 million employees who left their jobs in July as signs of a solid labor market. He further underscores the trends with the August employment report, which indicated continued improvement in the number of new jobs and the average hourly earnings.
• George discusses the advance in consumer confidence which increased in August for the first time in 4 months. He also mentions the new FICO report which showed that the average credit score is at an all-time high. And he talks about continuing recession worries, stemming from the Federal Reserve’s monetary tightening.
• On the real estate topic, George talks about rising borrowing costs which drove the typical mortgage payment 65% higher than a year ago. He also shares Realtor.com’s August data (released by Economic Data Manager Sabrina Speianu) and the latest weekly update (published by Chief Economist Danielle Hale), which further highlight the impact of higher costs. And George concludes with a new research study, authored by Economist Jiayi Xu, looking at which school districts millennials prefer, viewed through their home purchases.
• Find details along with Realtor.com® housing data for download at realtor.com/research.  And follow us on twitter: @rdc_economics, for real time updates.

WEEKLY DATA SUMMARY:

• I’m George Ratiu, Manager of Economic Research with Realtor.com.
• We are in September, and while hot weather continues in many parts of the country, leaves are beginning to change in others. This week, we saw a bumper crop of indicators highlighting a resilient economy.
• The number of job openings saw the first increase in 4 months, as companies continued to seek qualified workers. While there are still 2 open jobs for every unemployed person looking for work, companies are less motivated to fill them, due to concerns over a slowing economy. At the same time, over 4 million employees left their jobs in July, a sign that the labor market remains quite strong, especially as most people who quit usually find a better job.
• These numbers were further supported by the August employment report. The number of new jobs rose again and the unemployment rate ticked up as more people returned to the labor force. The average hourly earnings rose from last year, but growth still lags inflation.
• Jobless claims further bolstered the trends, dropping to a 9-week low.
• It is perhaps not surprising that consumer confidence increased in August for the first time in 4 months, as falling gasoline prices, solid employment and growing wages boosted household finances.
• These finances were also underscored by the new FICO report which showed that the average credit score is at an all-time high, a remarkable gain from the low of the 2008-09 housing crash.
• However, we are not out of the woods on recessionary concerns, mostly due to the Federal Reserve’s monetary tightening. Worried about the strong labor market and rising wages, the Fed is clear that it will not relent in its push to increase the funds rate. The central bank wants to see hiring slow and unemployment rise to curb inflation, even promising that more “pain” is in store for consumers and businesses. With rising capital costs, consumers and businesses are likely to spend less.
• Higher borrowing costs are abundantly-clear in slowing real estate markets. Mortgage rates jumped again this week. The typical mortgage payment is a whopping 65% higher than a year ago.
• Realtor.com’s August data highlight the impact of higher costs. With inventory growing at a quick pace and homes staying longer on the market, listing prices decelerated for the 3rd month in a row.
• These trends are confirmed by Realtor.com’s weekly update, which points to a slowdown in new listings. Many homeowners are worried they missed the peak and are pulling back.
• Against this backdrop, it’s not surprising that construction spending fell in July from the prior month, as homebuilders cut back on projects.
• This week, we also released a new research study looking at which school districts millennials prefer, viewed through their home purchases. Data show that millennials have been buying homes in affordable, highly-rated school districts in metros with solid economies and tech-centric industries.
• Enjoy the start of September and the Labor Day celebrations. We’ll keep you updated at our website and Twitter feed.
• You’ll find the details along with our housing data for download at realtor. com/research.  And follow us on twitter for real time updates.

Subscribe to our mailing list to receive monthly updates and notifications on the latest data and research.

Highlights

• Between April 2021 and April 2022, the share of millennial homebuyers in a typical school district nationwide was 36.1%, the largest among all generational cohorts.
• Over the same period, the share in a typical school district among the top 500 districts most favored by millennials was 41.7%.
• Millennial homebuyers reflect and value diversity more than earlier generations do, with a typical district diversity score of 5.7 among the 500 most-favored districts, compared to scores below 5 for earlier generations. 
• In their pursuit of housing affordability, millennial homebuyers invested more in higher-rated school districts in high-tech metros than earlier generations do, with a median price of $340,716 among the 500 most-favored districts
• California is the home to millennial favorite school districts. Among the top 500 school districts favored most by millennial homebuyers, 117 of them were from California, comprising 20.2% of eligible California school districts. Although it had a smaller number on the list, Utah is the state with the highest percentage of millennial favorite school districts (38.5%).

Realtor.com® ranks the top 500 millennials’ most-popular school districts based on the share of millennial homebuyers. The interactive map below shows the locations of these districts. Among the top 500 districts most-favored by millennials, the median millennial homebuyer share was 41.7%. The threshold for a school district’s entry was 40.6% and as a result, only 33 states had districts meeting the criteria for inclusion within the top 500 nationwide, and these states are labeled with * in Table 1.

With millennials moving firmly into their 30s and forming families, the desire to buy homes in good school districts is becoming a top priority. As a new school year is approaching, Realtor. com® carried out a study to find the school districts favored most by millennial homebuyers. 

We parsed buyers’ generations using primary buyers’ first names from deed records and Social Security Administration data on names and birth years. For each first name, we assigned a likelihood of being a member of Silent, Baby Boomer, Gen-X, Millennials, and Gen-Z.¹ The likelihoods are then used as weights to estimate the number and generation-share of homebuyers within each school district.

Between April 2021 and April 2022, the share of millennial homebuyers in a typical school district was 36.1%, the largest share among the five generations, suggesting that they have become a major growth engine of homeownership in school districts. Across districts, the millennial share ranged from a low of 19.7% to a high of 52.6%. Table 1 shows the most-favored school district by millennial homebuyers within each state. 

Table 1. Millennial Homebuyers’ Most-Favored School District By State

Note: Data is not available for VT due to data coverage issues.  

Realtor.com® ranks the top 500 millennials’ most-popular school districts based on the share of millennial homebuyers. The interactive map below shows the locations of these districts. Among the top 500 districts most-favored by millennials, the median millennial homebuyer share was 41.7%. The threshold for a school district’s entry was 40.6% and as a result, only 33 states had districts meeting the criteria for inclusion within the top 500 nationwide, and these states are labeled with * in Table 1.

Millennial homebuyers reflect and value diversity more than earlier generations do

The millennial generation is the most racially and ethnically diverse adult generation in U.S. history, comprising 45% of minorities.²

Millennials are also driving homeownership within minority groups as Black, Hispanic and Asian American as millennial home buying growth outpaced other generations in the last few years. Their beliefs in diversity are also reflected in their school choices. Our previous survey found that younger buyers were more likely than older buyers to cite diversity as a factor that makes for a good school. This study uses a racial and ethnic Diversity Score (DS) to examine whether this pattern continues for recent school district homebuyers.

The racial and ethnic Diversity Score is a version of the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index, originally used to measure market concentration and competitiveness. In recent years, economists and sociologists have started to use it to measure the degree of concentration of human and biological populations. For example, Pew Research Center established a Religious Diversity Index based on the shares of major world religions in different countries and regions. 

We follow their methodology to build a racial and ethnic DS for each school district. We sourced the School District Enrollments by Race/Ethnicity data from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The racial and ethnic DS is on a 0-10 scale, and higher scores indicate higher diversity. Suppose the entire student population belongs to one race/ethnicity. In that case, the score will be 0. If the students are equally distributed among the seven racial and ethnic groups, the score would be 10. 

Our data (Table 2) shows that school districts favored by millennials have the highest Diversity Scores, emphasizing the importance of multiculturalism, equity, and inclusion to millennial parents. 

Table 2. Diversity Score by Generations

The distribution of the Diversity Score among the top 500 millennial favorite school districts are shown in Figure 1. The 10-point score is divided into four ranges: 

• 27 school districts with scores of 8.6 and higher (the top 5%) are categorized as having a “very high” degree of race and ethnic diversity. 
• 75 school districts with scores from 7.7 to 8.5 (the next highest 15% of scores) are categorized as having a “high” level of diversity. 
• 101 districts with scores from 6.3 to 7.6 (the following 20% of scores) are categorized as having “moderate” diversity.
• The rest are categorized as having “low” diversity. 

Among the top 500 districts, Kent School District, WA (9.2/10) and Renton School District, WA (9.2/10) have the highest scores, followed by Natomas Unified School District, CA (9.1/10), Parkrose School District-3, OR (9.1/10), Tukwila School District, WA (9.1/10), NYC Geog District #28-Queens, NY (9.0/10), St. Paul Public School District, MN(9.0/10) and Utica City School District, NY (9. 0/10). In all of these school districts, the largest racial/ethnic group makes up over 25% of the students and at least three other groups each account for over 10% or more of the students.

Figure 1.   Diversity Score Levels

Millennial homebuyers prefer affordable, highly-rated school districts in pricey high-tech metros

The median price among the top 500 millennials’ most-favored school districts was $340,716, the highest across the four adult generations, suggesting millennial homebuyers faced several market realities which impacted their housing choices. One reason behind this more expensive investment is that millennial homebuyers have chosen to live in large, pricey metro areas with high-paying job opportunities, especially high-tech ones..³ Tech Metros: Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX; Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH; Chicago-Naperville-Elgin,IL-IN-WI; Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO; Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA; New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ; San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA; San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA; Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA; Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. ⁴ At the same time, the number is much smaller for the preceding generations: 71 out of 500 for Gen-X, 65 out of 500 for Baby Boomers, and 76 out of 500  school districts for the Silent generation are located in metros with a high concentration of tech companies. 

In addition, millennials’ preferences for high-rating school districts result in spending more on housing. Our data shows that the average school district rating for millennials is 5.5, the highest among the four adult generations. 

While millennial homebuyers gathered in expensive high-tech metros, the rapid rise in home prices over the past few years has pushed them to seek affordability. While school districts favored by millennials have the highest median price and median price per square foot, the premium vs. nearby metros is not the highest among the four adult generations, suggesting affordability plays a vital role in their home purchase decisions.

Table 3. Home Price and School District Ratings by Generations

Top 500 School Districts Favored By:	Median Price (School District)	Median Price (Nearby Metros)	Median Price per sqft (School District)	Median Price per sqft (Nearby Metros)	Average School District Rating
Millennials	$340,716	$338,802	$190	$176	5. 5
Gen-X	$258,769	$244,667	$157	$141	5.4
Baby Boomers	$277,054	$270,954	$176	$167	5.2
Silent	$244,279	$265,741	$152	$156	5.0

California is home to millennial favorite school districts

Among the top 500 most-favored school districts by millennials, California is home to the largest number of these school districts (117/500). Franklin-Mckinley Elementary School District owns the highest share of millennial homebuyers (50.8%), followed by Westminster Elementary School District (50.0%) and Garden Grove Unified School District (49.4%). 

Texas ranks second with 49 school districts on the top 500 list. The most popular school districts among millennials are Alief Independent School District (47.3%), Del Valle Independent School District (45. 9%), and Valley View Independent School District (45.3%). 

New York (32/500) and New Jersey (31/500) rank third and fourth. In New York,Hicksville Union Free School District is the district with the highest percentage of millennial homebuyers (45.3%), followed by Nyc Geog District #25 – Queens (44.8%) and Island Trees Union Free School District (43.7%). In New Jersey, Edison Township Public School District ranks first (46.2%), followed by Carteret Public School District (46.0%) and Harrison Public School District (43.7%). 

Illinois (29/500) and Michigan (29/500) come fifth and sixth, hand-in-hand. In Illinois, North Palos School District-117 (45.1%) is favored by millennial buyers most, followed by Lexington Community Unit School District (44.8%) and Lincolnwood School District-74 (43.6%). In Michigan, Crestwood School District owns the highest share of millennial homebuyers (52.6%), followed by Hamtramck Public School District (50.0.%) and Dearborn City School District (49. 5%). 

Minnesota (28/500) is also among the states with a larger number of millennial favorite school districts. Barnesville Public School District owns the highest share of millennial homebuyers (44.6%), followed by Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial School District (43.9%) and Brooklyn Center School District (43.7%).

When ranking states by the share of school districts that millennials favored, Utah is the state with the highest percentage of millennial favorite school districts (38.5%). In addition, California (20.2%), Minnesota (12.9%) and Texas (12.1%) also rank top on the list. 

Buyers looking for homes in a specific district or school boundary can search specifically within these parameters on Realtor.com.® Buyers simply enter the name of a school or district into the search box on the Realtor.com® home page. Homes within the area are then presented on a map with a “pin” showing the school name and location. Learn more about how to personalize your home search on Realtor. com here.

Methodology

Realtor.com® analyzed over 11,400+ school districts based on sales records between April 1st, 2021 and April 30th, 2022. Eligible school districts have at least 60 valid sales during this one-year period, resulting in 7,471 eligible school districts. Note that none of the school districts in Vermont meet our standards because of data coverage issues. 

Sales information is obtained from the Realtor.com® public records database. A valid sale is an arms-length, non-corporate transaction. An arms-length transaction is when buyers and sellers each act in their self-interest to try to get the best deal they can. The most common non arms-length transactions are sales between family or friends. Find out more about arms-length home sales here. A non-corporate transaction is defined as a deal when the primary buyer is an individual. We also exclude individual buyers who purchase properties via family trusts and limited liability companies. For the purpose of this study, we only include residential properties.  

Buyers’ generations are parsed using primary buyers’ first names from deed records and Social Security Administration data on names and birth years. We use first names between 1928 and 1996, the most recent year for which this data is available. For each first name, we count its frequency for each year. We also assign a generation for each year (Gen-Z: 1997-2004; Millennial: between 1981 and 1996; Gen-X: between 1965 and 1980; Boomer: 1946 and 1964; Silent: between 1928 and 1945). We only consider Gen-Zers who are over 18 to own properties. We calculate the generation likelihoods from these counts. For all buyer types, likelihoods are used as weights to estimate the number and share of each generation of homebuyers within each school district. 

The racial and ethnic Diversity Score is a version of the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index, originally used to measure market concentration and competitiveness. We follow Pew Research Center’s methodology to build a racial and ethnic index to measure the diversity of each school district. 2 = 10,000), suggesting zero diversity. By contrast, if the students are equally distributed among the seven groups (14.3% each), the first step will result in a score of 1,431, representing the maximum possible diversity. Second, the first-step score is inverted so that lower scores indicate lower racial/ethnic diversity and higher scores show higher diversity. To invert the scores, the first-step score is subtracted from the score representing no racial/ethnic diversity (10,000). If the entire students belong to one racial/ethnic group, the score will become 0 (10,000–10,000=0). If the students are equally distributed among the seven racial/ethnic groups, the score will now become 8,569 (10,000–1,431=8,569). This inverted second-step score of 8,569 now represents the maximum possible diversity. Third, the second-step score is divided by 856.9 to put the final score on a 0-10 scale. If the entire population belongs to one racial/ethnic group, the score will remain 0 (0/856.9=0). But if the students are equally distributed among the seven groups, the score would now become 10 (8,569/856. 9=10).

School district ratings are estimated based on school ratings from GreatSchools.

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• 78 percent of buyers in their preferred school district gave up home features to get there
• Most common compromises include a garage, large backyard, and updated kitchen
• Nearly three-quarters of respondents say good schools were important to their search

 Today’s seller’s market is forcing buyers to make compromises, but new survey [1] data shows buyers remain steadfast in their desire for their preferred good school districts. In fact, they are willing to give up two of their most desired home features — a garage and updated kitchen — to get into the right school district they want.

Most buyers understand that they may not be able to find a home that covers every single item on their wish list, but our survey shows that school districts are an area where many buyers aren’t willing to compromise. For many buyers and not just buyers with children, “location, location, location,” means “schools, schools, schools.”

Three-quarters of respondents indicated schools were important in their search

The majority of successful buyers surveyed, 73 percent, indicated that school boundaries were important to their search, with 39 percent indicating very important and 34 percent important. Only 18 percent said they were unimportant or very unimportant, and 9 percent of buyers were neutral on the question.

The desire for particular schools varied significantly by life stage and age. Ninety-one percent of buyers with children said that school boundaries were important or very important, compared to 34 percent of those without children. Similarly, younger buyers were more likely to say that schools were important. Eighty-four percent of those 35-54 years old and 86 percent of those 18-34 years old indicated they were important, compared to 37 percent of buyers 55-plus. More than half of older buyers 55-plus said school boundaries were unimportant or very unimportant.

Buyers compromise on their top home features for good schools

Seventy-eight percent of buyers for whom schools were important and who were able to get into their preferred district said they had to compromise on home features; 22 percent did not. The features they most commonly reported giving up were a garage (19 percent), a large backyard (18 percent), an updated kitchen (17 percent), desired number of bedrooms (17 percent), and an outdoor living area (16 percent). According to realtor.com’s spring home buyer survey a garage was the No. 1 feature home buyers were looking for this year, followed by an updated kitchen, and an open floor plan.

Older buyers were less likely to say they had to compromise with 42 percent of buyers 55-plus reporting they made no compromises, compared to 21 percent of 35-54 year-old buyers and 17 percent of buyers aged 18-34.

Buyers define good schools by test scores and accelerated programs

Test scores were the factor most often selected by buyers as a hallmark of a good school (59 percent), followed by having accelerated programs (53 percent), arts and music (49 percent), diversity (43 percent), and before- and after-school programs (41 percent).

Younger buyers were more likely than older buyers to cite diversity as a factor that makes for a good school — 49 percent for 18-34 year-olds, compared to 37 percent for 55-plus. More older buyers placed importance on whether a school has accelerated programs — 62 percent for 55-plus vs. 50 percent for buyers under 55.

Buyers looking for homes in a specific district or school boundary, can search specifically within these parameters on realtor.com.^® Buyers simply enter the name of a school or district into the search box on the realtor.com^® home page. Homes within the area are then presented on a map with a “pin” showing the school name and location.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the importance recent buyers placed on schools, many home shoppers are already using this feature to look for homes.  Below we’ve compiled a list of the most searched for schools based on home searches using the school search feature on realtor.com in 2018.

Most Searched Schools 2018 (year to date)

[1] The online survey was conducted earlier this month by Harris Research of more than 1,000 people who closed on a home in 2018.

Search for Schools on Realtor.com

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When searching for a new home, finding something affordable in a good school district with family-friendly features, such as large backyards, tops the list of homebuyer priorities. These markets offer strong public schools and affordable homes, making them a great fit for homebuyers with elementary school-age children.

We compiled a ranking of affordable housing markets with top-rated elementary schools to assist homeowners in their search. Led by Aurora, IL (zip code 60503), located outside Chicago, this list also includes towns from all over the U.S., from Royersford, PA, to  Chandler, AZ.

To create the list, we analyzed zip codes within the largest metropolitan areas in the country which contained at least one public or public charter school ranked eight out of 10 or higher by GreatSchools. In order, our list of top  affordable towns with great elementary schools includes: Aurora, IL; Stone Mountain, GA; Hampton, MJ; Royersford, PA; Kingwood, TX; Rosemount, MN; Bowie, MD; Huntington Woods, MI; Stow, MA; and Chandler, AZ.

The monthly cost of owning a median-priced home in these top elementary school markets is on average only 23 percent of the median household income in the zip, which is on-average 41 percent less costly than their surrounding metro area. In addition to offering affordable prices, these markets are home to strong incomes as well with an average household income of $106,525, compared to the national median of $57,462.

We also looked into the top affordable towns for middle schools and high schools, Aurora also topped the list for middle schools while Royersford- which made the top elementary list- was ranked No. 1 for high schools. In fact, seven of the top 10 elementary school towns also made it onto the top middle school or high school list, including: Aurora (middle school), Hampton (middle school), Royersford (middle and high schools), Kingswood (middle school), Rosemount (middle and high schools), Stow (middle school) and Chandlier (middle and high schools).

Staying your home for at least five to 10 years is one way you can ensure you receive a high return on your home investment. With strong middle and high schools many of the markets on the list offer families the opportunity to put down roots while building equity in their home.

In a realtor.com^® survey of first-time homebuyers conducted earlier this year, younger homebuyers who are more likely to have young children in the house were particularly interested in living in a good school district. In fact, millennial home shoppers, as well as shoppers age 35-44, cited family needs as the primary reason for entering the housing market, and noted better school districts as a primary reason for purchasing a new home.

The below list ranks zip codes according to affordability of homes within each area, determined by calculating the monthly mortgage costs and other costs to purchase the median-priced home in the ZIP code and dividing it by the ZIP code’s median income.

Realtor.com’s Top Affordable Towns with the Best Elementary Schools

1. Aurora, IL (ZIP code 60503)

Schools: Homestead Elementary School (rating 10/10), The Wheatlands Elementary School (rating 8/10), and Wolfs Crossing Elementary School (rating 10/10)

Housing in ZIP 60503: The 2017 median household income in Aurora is $114,118 with a 2017 median listing price of $259,900. Aurora is 45 percent more affordable compared to its surrounding metro area, and 47 percent more affordable compared to the U.S. overall.

Schools: Oswego Community Unit School District 308 is home to Homestead, Wheatlands, and Wolfs Crossing. As the district’s tagline, “world-class schools serving caring communities” suggests, these schools place an emphasis on partnering and engaging with students’ families and their surrounding communities. It is also home to the No. 1 middle school on the list Bednarcik Junior High School.

2. Stone Mountain, GA (ZIP code 30087)

School: Wynbrooke Elementary School (rating 9/10)

Housing in ZIP 30087: The 2017 median household income in Stone Mountain is $71,678 with a 2017 median listing price of $218,950. Stone Mountain is 38 percent more affordable compared to its surrounding metro area, and compared to the U.S. overall.

School: Dubbing itself a “theme school,” Wynbrooke Elementary seeks to engage students through research-centered assignments and hands-on projects. Its known for its low student-to-teacher ratio, daily homework assignments, and uniform policy.

3. Hampton, NJ (ZIP code 08827)

School: Union Township Elementary School (rating 8/10)

Housing in ZIP 08827: The 2017 median household income in Hampton is $118,810 with a 2017 median listing price of $297,000. Hampton is 60 percent more affordable compared to its surrounding metro area, and 37 percent more affordable compared to the U.S. overall.

School: The Union Township Board of Education says it aims to build not just academic abilities, but the entire set of skills necessary to become productive members of society by encouraging their students’ individual growth. Union Township Elementary students get to enjoy learning in the fresh air thanks to two recently built “outdoor classroom pavilions” that were constructed with the help of community members and the school’s PTA. The school is also considering changing its current half-day Kindergarten to a more rigorous all-day program.

4. Royersford, PA (ZIP code 19468)

Schools: Brooke Elementary School (rating 9/10), Evans Elementary School (rating 8/10), Limerick Elementary School (rating 9/10), Spring-Ford Intrmd School 5th/6th (rating 9/10), and Upper Providence Elementary School (rating 9/10)

Housing in ZIP 19468: The 2017 median household income in Royersford is $83,264 with a 2017 median listing price of $246,125. Royersford is 21 percent more affordable compared to its surrounding metro area, and 32 percent more affordable compared to the U.S. overall.

Schools: Brooke, Limerick, Spring-Ford and Upper Providence are all located in the Spring-Ford Area School District which places an emphasis on making school fun. It operates under the philosophy that elementary school students “should enjoy coming to school” and that creating an enjoyable environment is the best way to help students reach their full potential.

5. Kingwood, TX (ZIP code 77345)

Schools: Deerwood Elementary School (rating 9/10), Greentree Elementary School (rating 10/10), Hidden Hollow Elementary (9/10), Shadow Forest Elementary School (rating 10/10), and Willow Creek Elementary School (rating 10/10).

Housing in ZIP 77345: The 2017 median household income in Kingwood is $123,201 with a 2017 median listing price of $323,750. Kingwood is 46 percent more affordable compared to its surrounding metro area, and 32 percent more affordable compared to the U.S. overall.

Schools: The Humble School District, home to Deerwood, Greentree, Hidden Hollow, Shadow Forest, and Willow Creek, is one of Texas’ 25 fastest-growing districts. It aims to create students who are “life-long learners, complex thinkers, responsible global citizens and effective communicators.”

6. Rosemount, MN (ZIP code 55068)

School: Shannon Park Elementary School (rating 10/10)

Housing in ZIP 55068: The 2017 median household income in Rosemount is $93,743 with a 2017 median listing price of $299,900. Rosemount is 30 percent more affordable compared to its surrounding metro area, and 32 percent more affordable compared to the U. S. overall.

School: Known for its academics and extracurriculars, Shannon Park students have a chance to take part in a plethora of activities, including a geography bee, math olympiad, young Authors Conference and family math night.

7. Bowie, MD (ZIP code 20715)

Schools: Whitehall Elementary School (rating 8/10) and Yorktown Elementary School (rating 8/10)

Housing in ZIP 20715: The 2017 median household income in Bowie is $107,865 with a 2017 median listing price of $345,350. Bowie is 29 percent more affordable compared to its surrounding metro area, and 27 percent more affordable compared to the U.S. overall.

Schools: Located just minutes away from Washington, D.C., Prince George’s County Public Schools is one of the nation’s 25 largest school districts. Whitehall and Yorktown are known for their academic rigor, which is demonstrated by their mission statements “to educate children beyond expectations” and “a rigorous instructional program for every student, in every classroom every day,” respectively.

8. Huntington Woods, MI (ZIP code 48070)

School: Burton Elementary School (rating 8/10)

Housing in ZIP 48070: The 2017 median household income in Huntington Woods is $120,265 with a 2017 median listing price of $400,000. Huntington Woods is 15 percent more affordable compared to its surrounding metro area, and 27 percent more affordable compared to the U.S. overall.

School: Burton Elementary school prides itself on its comprehensive and innovative curricula, making parents part of the education process and integrating technology into every subject. The 480 students who attend the K-5 elementary school, also benefit from “differentiated instruction” –  programs that help enable the school to cater to all learning types.

9. Stow, MA (ZIP code 01775)

School: Center School (rating 8/10)

Housing in ZIP 01775: The 2017 median household income in Stow is $139,622 with a 2017 median listing price of $504,750. Stow is 45 percent more affordable compared to its surrounding metro area, and 23 percent more affordable compared to the U.S. overall.

School: At Center School, educators use high expectations and cutting edge educational practices to drive students toward academic achievement. Its home to a state of the art 100,000-square-foot building equipped with iPads, Chromebooks and smartboards that give a students hands-on technology experience.

10. Chandler, AZ (85226) – Kyrene Elementary District and Paragon Education Corporation

Schools: Kyrene De La Mirada School (rating 9/10), Kyrene De La Paloma School (rating 8/10), Kyrene De Las Brisas School (rating 9/10), Kyrene del Cielo School (rating 10/10), Kyrene Traditional – Sureno Campus (rating 9/10), and Paragon Science Academy K-12 (rating 9/10).

Housing in ZIP 85226: The 2017 median household income in Chandler is $80,130 with a 2017 median listing price of $324,155. Chandler is 30 percent more affordable compared to its surrounding metro area, and 20 percent more affordable compared to the U.S. overall.

School: In Arizona, students can attend any school within or outside their own districts. Kyrene and Paragon seek to attract top students with strong academics, small class sizes, lots of activities – such as technology and art – and the opportunity to use laptops every day.

Realtor.com^®’s Top Affordable Towns with the Best Middle Schools

Rank	Area	District	School	GreatSchools Rating (out of 10)	Median HH Income 2017	Median Listing Price 2017
1	Aurora, IL (60503)	Oswego Community Unit School District 308	Bednarcik Junior High School	9	$114,888	$259,900
2	Hampton, GA (08827)	Union Township School District	Union Twp Middle School	10	$111,810	$297,000
3	Royersford, PA (19468)	Spring-Ford Area School District	Spring-Ford Ms 7th Grade Center, Spring-Ford Ms 8th Grade Center	10	$83,264	$246,125
4	Kingwood, TX (77345)	Humble Independent School District	Riverwood Middle School	10	$123,201	$323,750
5	Rosemount, MN (55068)	Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District	Rosemount Middle School	9	$93,743	$299,900
6	Bowie, MD (20715)	Prince George’s County Public Schools	Samuel Ogle Middle School	8	$107,865	$345,350
7	Woodstock, GA (30189)	Cherokee County School District	E. T. Booth Middle School, Woodstock Middle School	9	$83,989	$304,450
8	Stow, MA (01775)	Nashoba School District	Hale Middle School	9	$139,622	$504,750
9	Chandler, AZ (85226)	Kyrene Elementary District, Paragon Education Corporation	Kyrene Aprende Middle School, Kyrene Del Pueblo Middle School, Paragon Science Academy K-12	9	$80,130	$324,155
10	Plano, TX (75094)	Plano Independent School District	Murphy Middle School	10	$128,673	$418,725

Realtor.com^®’s Top Affordable Towns with the Best High Schools

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This study identifies the price premium to buy a home in a strong public school district, and provides timely and granular housing market insights into the top districts garnering the highest home prices and demand from buyers.

To that end, we overlay data from realtor.com‘s residential listings database with granular school ratings from GreatSchools.org. Specifically, we aggregate key price, demand and supply metrics for all homes listed during the first half of 2016, and compare properties located in school districts rated nine or 10 on the GreatSchools.org 10-point scale against all other homes, as well as homes in lower rated districts.

National Summary

Attaching fresh and real figures to a well known dynamic is both entertaining and intriguing. The national picture reveals just how much more, on average, buyers are willing (or having) to pay for a top school. The analysis shows homes within the boundaries of the higher rated public school districts are, on average, 49 percent more expensive – at $400,000 – than the national median list price of $269,000 and 77 percent more expensive than schools located within the boundaries of lower ranked districts with a median of $225,000.

To put this in perspective, our findings show that, in most markets, families are willing to pay more for a highly ranked school than an extra bedroom, a shorter commute, and even big home features such as a swimming pool, higher ceilings, sport courts, and even a private dock.

Houses located in these areas, on average, also move eight days faster than homes in below average school districts and sell four days faster – at 58 days – than the national median of 62 days. Additionally, properties within the boundaries of higher-rated school districts are viewed 26 percent more, on average, than the average home on realtor.com® (an indicator of buyer demand) and 42 percent more than homes in areas with lower ranked schools.

This gives sellers are edge, and results in stiffer competition for buyers, in what is already the hottest real estate summer in a decade and what continue to be very shallow supply conditions. Prices and competition are higher, but it’s not impossible. Savvy and lucky buyers can still land the right home in these competitive schools districts. Those who understand local seasonality patterns, and start their search early in that cycle,  are bound to have better chances and better value.

Local Dynamics

Being able to quantify the premium and popularity of these A+ communities is revealing. However, data at a more granular level provides deeper insights into local dynamics and uncovers a variety of unique patterns.

See interactive tool below.

Select a tab to view a particular metric (price premium, listing views, days on market). The default view shows top rated school districts across the country with the highest relative difference compared to the surrounding county. Select a geography (specific county and/or school district) to see how your local area compares. Note not all districts are shown on the default view. To show all districts, select ‘All’ under the School Rating Group.

To download a full file with all metrics for all districts and counties analyzed, see download link below.

Top Rated School Districts with the Highest Relative Premiums

The top 20 districts in this list have a combined median list price of $1.77 million, and range from $750,000 to 3.85 million. That’s about seven times higher than the US overall, and three to seven times higher than their surrounding county.