What SchoolGrade Is
SchoolGrade grades every public school in the United States, then shows how each one performs against what its students’ circumstances would predict. Families get a clear grade; schools that outperform their context get the credit that raw scores hide.
Raw test scores mostly measure who a school serves. A school in an affluent suburb posts high proficiency because its students arrive prepared; a school in a high-poverty neighborhood can be doing extraordinary work and still trail it. SchoolGrade shows both numbers side by side: the school’s actual proficiency, and the proficiency our model projects for a school with that student body and community. The gap between them is the Impact Grade.
The grades cover roughly 93,000 public schools and every city, county and ZIP code they serve, drawn from state assessment results, federal education data and Census community data. Schools cannot pay to change a grade, and nothing on the site is sponsored. The full model, its sources and its limits are on the methodology page.
Who It Is For
Families
Compare the schools in a city or ZIP on one page, then read any school in depth: academics, safety, staffing, spending and the neighborhood around it.
Schools and districts
Every school can put its grade on its own site with a free badge that updates itself. Schools that beat their projection have a number to show for it.
Researchers and press
A consistent, context-adjusted reading of school performance for every public school, with the methodology and references published.
Contact SchoolGrade
Questions, corrections, data requests and press inquiries all come through the form below.