How to research schools?

BBear13

My husband and I don't know if we want to have kids at all (we're in our 20's, and even if we have them it wouldn't be for a few years) Still, we are starting to look at homes, and we'd like to get a home in an area with good schools, but we know nothing about how to find out if the schools are good.

1. Where does one get information about the schools? Are there reliable sites anyone can recommend, and are there specific factors we should be looking for in reviews?

2. How long is that kind of information valid? If we buy a home now, but don't have kids ready to attend until 8 - 10 years from now, would the reviews of schools be somewhat accurate or valid still?

Thanks in advance! 

 

Nechie122

GreatSchools.org is a good place to start and you might also want to talk to other parents to find out the local reputation of various school districts. Realtors are also pretty knowledgeable. 

As far as long term, well, of course there are no guarantees. Good school districts are often self-perpetuating because they draw families who are interested in the schools who in turn want to see the schools succeed (both for the sake of their kids as well as their home values.) I think it's also important to think about the options your future kids would have. For instance, metro areas often have magnet school programs; in addition, some cities save a certain number of spots that are distributed by lottery, not zoning. So it's worth researching how the board of education operates in a particular city. Good school districts are generally more expensive so you might want to weigh the cost of private school (anywhere from $5,000 to $40,000 per kid) against the home price differential. 

forcuatro

I really like greatschools.org.  They give schools a rating of 1-10.  The rating comes from each particular school's test scores in comparison with the test score results from all other schools in the state.  They also have a star rating that students and parents can use to review their school. 

In addition to the ratings they list specifics of test scores, school activities, teacher:student ratios, number of credentialed teachers and other miscellaneous school information.  They will also let you compare schools.

I have used this over the last year when we have considered moving.  I was able to look up all schools in my town and then sort them by greatschool.org rating.  The school district we are moving in to is the #2 ranked school of the 94 schools in and around our area.  It also received 5 stars from the community rating which is better than the #1 rated school (that school received 4 stars).

I have 3 children so this was VERY important to me when looking to buy.  However, even if you never have children it can help your resale if you are in a more desireable school ditsrict.

MommyLiberty5013

Also, www.schooldigger.com

 

BBear13

Thanks! I am off to check it out!

BBear13

Holy smokes, I just started checking it out, and I am blown away by how many public elementary schools are in the area! (Northern Virginia/Fairfax County)

I seriously had no idea there were so many here. I guess I just haven't been paying attention since I don't have kids, but I've never even heard of so many of these.

mcskatcat

Schooldigger.com is also a great resource.  Also, check through your state.  I live in IL and the IL web site has info on demographics, test scores, that kind of thing.  

jwthoms1

Since you say you are in VA- go to the VA Dept of Ed website and look up the tests score reports or School Report Cards.  They can be overwhelming but you want to at least see if the schools are accredited or in improvement and what percent of overall students passed the main subject area tests.  These should be in the 90% or better for a good school.