school ratings

[wac_432]

Originally Posted by Dad01

where I'm looking is in california

So, this is kind of garbage:.
https://www.caschooldashboard.org/

This is the hard data where you can pick what’s important to you. You can click to it from the main site, (more information > dataquest):
https://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/

Select:

Level - School

Subject: CAAASP

Then hunt around. It’s a lot of data. Greatschools provides a reasonable summary despite all the hate it gets here.

[BigCityDreamer]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

You don’t have to look at the schools. You need to look at the parents. The higher the percentage of college educated parents in the town, the more likely the schools will perform well.

A town with 90% college educated adults can hold classes under an oak tree using new grads and have good outcomes.

Most people consider the highest-rated schools to be the ones with the highest standardized test scores.

That seems to be the bottom line.

[citylove101]

IIRC, I read once on the GreatSchools site that a '5' rating means that the school is "average" compared to others in the same state, and that the factor that's weighted the most in its rating is student progress -- how well kids are learning from year to year. Seems to me that measuring improvement can be as valuable, if not more so, than a rating derived just from a single year's test scores. (But how they benchmark and measure progress, I don't know).

If I were moving now with kids to educate, I'd make it a point to look at the attendance numbers too. When a lot of kids don't show up, that's a red flag. I'd also Google for any news articles about the school, town, and district.

There can be definite cons about being in a very affluent area. Would your kids feel alienated? Would the parents be insufferable? Is there likely to be a good deal of teen substance abuse? Is the neighborhood diverse enough for your family's liking -- if that matters to you? And would YOU be happy there? Kids can pick up on a parent's unhappiness in a heartbeat.

So my suggesttion is that all else being equal -- and both schools will probably do a good job of educating your kids -- pick the home and neighborhood where YOU will be happiest. You'll have a better family life and be in a place where it's eassier to support your kids through whatever their futre is.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by BigCityDreamer

Most people consider the highest-rated schools to be the ones with the highest standardized test scores.

That seems to be the bottom line.

I think that's about right.

[RamenAddict]

Originally Posted by phetaroi

With a grain (or maybe a 5-pound block) of salt, I tend to agree.

I've known schools in very average neighborhoods (and even in poor neighborhoods) that were outstanding due to the staff, and schools in rich neighborhoods that I wouldn't want to send a kit to for various reasons.

But, in general, yes.

My parents live in a nice neighborhood and the high school and middle school are absolutely atrocious. I wouldn’t just go by the price of the homes. I wouldn’t say they are in a “rich” neighborhood, but there is a decent share of million dollar lake mansions.

I can also tell you that in my area, the greatschools rankings have caused some heated discussion over on the local CD subforum. The best high school near me is only a 7/10, but the one in the adjacent district is a 10/10. It doesn’t have much of a reputation at all, but the 10/10 school has about 100 students per grade while it’s more like 900/grade in the 7/10 school. Obviously that’s going to give kids different opportunities. A kid may have a better chance to be active at a small school, but is more likely to find something s/he wants to be active in doing at the large school. It should be a case by case decision assuming you can afford it.

[Grlzrl]

We moved to a district with a 7 rated school and I found out some things after that made me realize the district was not even that good. Then I started to question WHO was doing the ratings and their motivations behind it.