Anyone know how to find THE BEST Schools? (school rating, counselors, county)
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I think I am going to start to find our 'good' place to move by locating the best schools in various areas. It's important where we move has good schools as our top priority.
If anyone knows of a website, let me know. Thanks.
I think I am going to start to find our 'good' place to move by locating the best schools in various areas. It's important where we move has good schools as our top priority. If anyone knows of a website, let me know. Thanks.
It is nationwide in scope. Fairly user-intuitive. Start with the national map and drill down into a state of your choice. Site has a wealth of data. For example, I drilled down into high school data for my hometown (Baltimore), finding that specific inner cities schools were dismal, i.e., only 5% of 10th grade students met Math and English standards, etc.
Many (most?) states have websites for school ratings, once you like a certain state, try googling for the data or visit that state Forum.
There are any number of ways to judge school quality. None are foolproof. Data is data, not knowledge. Note that DC ranks highest, but many folks find the schools there very poor. Meanwhile, MD is a respectable 13th, and schools in Montgomery County are nationally acclaimed, but keep in mind my example above about inner city schools in Baltimore, MD. Over In VA, ranked 24th, Fairfax County schools also are nationally acclaimed and school bond issues there are always approved by overwhelming margins. Both counties love their kids and their schools. Data is just data, it needs to be understood within some context to impart value, and as always, "your mileage may vary."
For best results, use the data with your favorite realtor site, as the MLS listings usually give the name of the schools for a given home.
Other issues that cloud the picture when determining quality of schools.....
- All states, all school districts, have issues, controversies, funding matters.
- All states, districts and schools have good points and weak points.
- Teachers are people, their qualities will vary from classroom to classroom. Most are poorly paid. We should value them more!
- Investment in schools can vary greatly between the states.
- Quality of School Districts can vary within a state.
- Quality of schools can vary within districts.
- Districts with lots of Advanced Placement classes and Inter-Baccalaureate schools can be considered very good to excellent districts.
- Most realtors can tell you all about schools in their area. If not, find another realtor. (I'm not one.)
Note to all readers:
- Now that we have the sites and tips posted, please use these and google to do your research on schools. If you still get stuck and need a hand, then ask a question. We who give of our own time haven't time to reply to an unending string of the same questions over and over, it just buries the site in repetitive postings. We prefer that people add to the body of knowledge here with postings that are additive to the site's value. All that being said, thanks to GypsySoul22 for asking a great question and getting us started on a new topic. If you have sites or data to add, please do so. Thanks! s/Mike
Here's a link from the Washington Post, 08 Aug 2006, for an article on how to pick a good school for your children. Although some of the author's info is specific to the DC area, the tips he gives are generic and good for anywhere.... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...032304321.html
Okay I wrote about this once on the Oregon Forum. You'll need to be able to decide on a city in order to check out the schools.
First go to Realtor.com then write in the city and click for the state just as if you were looking for houses there. Once you get up your list of houses click on one to bring up the desription of the house with the pictures. Now scroll down past the description of the house to a list of links. One will say school information. You are going to click that link. It will give you some bare facts like how many students per teacher in several different schools in the area. You'll probably want more information so figure out which schools you want to know about. Then click the link for a free school report. This will give you more details about the schools you are concerned about.
I know when you have children you are bound to want good schools for them so check it out. I hope this is of some help to you and others.
From a very general, nationwide perspective, you'll find (as common sense would tell you) that schools are generally "better" in wealthier, suburban communities...nicer homes=more property taxes=more revenue for schools. You'll find better facilities, better paid teachers, etc. Parents in these districts are typically more involved and have more resources to help their kids through school. Inner-city schools in large urban areas often have more problems with budgets, teacher turnover, gangs, etc. but of course that's not always the case. But another thing to remember is some of the wealthier districts can appear "on paper" better than they really are...often you have parents that are TOO involved and things like grade inflation,favoritism and politics can become real problems.
The upper Midwest (ND, MN, WI, IA) traditionally have a reputaion for good schools and a work ethic that values education, but of course the quality of individual districts and schools within districts can very widely, just like anywhere else.
Websites like greatschools (referenced above) will give you data on things like test scores, percentage of students on free/reduced lunch, percentage of teachers with an MA or higher, student/teacher ratio, etc. It's a good place to start and those indicators can give you a pretty good idea of what those schools/districts are like, but of course they don't tell the whole story.
Other things to consider are
school size: do you want a large urban/suburban school with lots of classes and sports/clubs/organizations to pick from or a smaller, more rural school where the teachers know all the kids by name?
population: do you want an elite, but mostly "white" school or a more diverse mix where your kids can learn and interact with people of different backgrounds than themselves?
school focus: do you want a school with a strong "back to basics" approach or are you more interested in a magnet school that emphasizes the arts, sciences or business?
your child's needs: is your child and A+ student in need of challenging AP or IB classes (referenced above) or does he/she struggle and need a school with an outstanding speical education program? Is your student a great musician or athlete who wants to compete in state tournaments/contests or a more "well rounded" kid who wants to join the track team or play in the band for fun (and actually have a chance to join those respective groups without having to be "the best"?)
Finally, as someone who works in the education field, I can say that a lot of what you and your child get out of your child's education depends on how much effort you and your child put into it. I've worked in both urban, "inner city" districts as well as a very small, rural district and I've found that the kids who really try (especially if they have supportive parents) usually do fine no matter where they are or what their parents' own background is. Most teachers, counselors and administrators are MORE than happy to give your child some extra help if you're willing to work with us. We all have a tough job (you as parents to raise your kids, and we as educators to teach them) and it is essential that we work together, not against each other!
I think I am going to start to find our 'good' place to move by locating the best schools in various areas. It's important where we move has good schools as our top priority.
If anyone knows of a website, let me know. Thanks.
It really does depend on the State then City you choose to look at. For example, in Maryland we find often the best schools are in either Howard or Calvert County which are not really even close in proximity to one another. Both have similar records and without talking to the families that live near these schools and have experienced it first hand you'd probably never really hear the rave reviews from outside the state. We have a neighbor who was teacher of the year for a Middle school, but that information isn't broadcasted...you would have had to go into the school and read the plaques then know the person to make the connection.
I find pure statistics never really do a school system justice since in my opinion a lot of the intangibles are what's necessary to getting a good experieince out of a school. The Teacher / Student ratio doesn't always reflect how good the attention is given per student for example, etc...
It really will come down to the type of area you're looking to live in, the amount of money you're willing to spend as a premium to be in the good areas, and the type of neighbors you'll feel most comfortable with having that drives a lot of the other intangibles to give you a good experieince. I think MidNiteBreeze gave excellent guidance in this regard.
Hi! We are relocating to FL and I've been heavily researching school districts in that state. Here are a few informative, helpful websites:
greatschools.net
schooldigger.com
schoolmatters.com
psk12.com
just4kids.com
neighborhoodscout.com
I hope you realize that this list is just a list of how many kids take the AP tests, right? They don't even have to do well on them, just take them. A school requires all kids to take an AP test and now they are #1 in the nation??
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Picking a Good School
Anyone know how to find THE BEST Schools?
