DFW Public Middle Schools Rankings 2015 (Dallas, Plano: home, vs, park)

[europeanone]

Plano schools dominate this list:

https://k12.niche.com/rankings/publi...th-metro-area/

[sojourner77]

I have a hard time believing that Highland Park MS is that far down the list at 15th and with eight Plano schools ranked higher. Allen is way down there at 29th, which is also a little hard to believe.

Looking deeper: how can HP be 15th in Dallas, but 18th in Texas according to this website? Something doesn't add up here. On the surface, this looks like Plano RE advertising that is masquerading as "information"

[TurtleCreek80]

If you open up the details under each school, it's easy to see that the 10% weight of the "C" score in Diversity is what moved HPMS so far down. HPMS earned an A+ in the other three metrics - Academics, Teachers, and Overall District Experience. HPMS was one of 4 schools in the top 15 to earn an A+ in Academics, fwiw. The other three schools were Rice, Southlake, and Coppell East.

So basically HPMS got "dinged" down to 15th rank for being a 90% white school, and all of the Plano schools who "only" earned an A in academics vs HP's A+ earned a much higher score in Diversity, placing them with top rankings using the rating methodology.

[keribeth818]

This is the same website that lists all the elementary schools in Plano exceptionally high as well. Different websites used the same data with different weighted factors to generate much different results.

[Souleiado]

That list is a joke! No way that all those middle school are in the top, especially some of the Plano ones.

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

If diversity is a factor, it should be obvious why Plano did so well.

[MurphyPl1]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

If you open up the details under each school, it's easy to see that the 10% weight of the "C" score in Diversity is what moved HPMS so far down. HPMS earned an A+ in the other three metrics - Academics, Teachers, and Overall District Experience. HPMS was one of 4 schools in the top 15 to earn an A+ in Academics, fwiw. The other three schools were Rice, Southlake, and Coppell East.

So basically HPMS got "dinged" down to 15th rank for being a 90% white school, and all of the Plano schools who "only" earned an A in academics vs HP's A+ earned a much higher score in Diversity, placing them with top rankings using the rating methodology.

They did state that diversity was a piece in their opening statement:

"A high ranking indicates that the school is an exceptional academic institution with a diverse set of high-achieving students and faculty"

[synchronicity]

Yup. It all depends on what weights you assign to which factors.

The Southlake schools are almost all about 3/4 white (and 2-3% economically disadvantaged, if that's in the mix), so they lose out in diversity compared to Plano schools. For some people that's important, for others notsomuch. HP schools are even moreso - 90%+ white IIRC and 0% or very close in economically disadvantaged.

I take all rankings with a grain of salt and just try to focus on factors that are most important to me...as well as realize that the largest factor is parents and home environment, and that's the one totally within our control. The differentiation in school metrics is at least in part due to "self-selecting population" issues and other correlations, all of which we've discussed a zillion times here.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by sojourner77

I have a hard time believing that Highland Park MS is that far down the list at 15th and with eight Plano schools ranked higher. Allen is way down there at 29th, which is also a little hard to believe.

Looking deeper: how can HP be 15th in Dallas, but 18th in Texas according to this website? Something doesn't add up here. On the surface, this looks like Plano RE advertising that is masquerading as "information"

It's a really stupid list. HP gets a C for diversity.

[GreyDay]

Originally Posted by EDS_

It's a really stupid list. HP gets a C for diversity.

That's a very generous grade for HPMS.