Inside our public-school database: what 118,199 profiles actually contain
A transparent tour of the records behind this site—what is current, what is older, which fields are well covered, and where federal data still leaves gaps.
· 11 min read
Why a school’s rank can change when its own number does not
A position depends on the comparison group, missing records, ties, and the chosen measure. Change the peer group in our interactive example and watch an unchanged school move.
9 min read
Read the guide →Guides for making sense of school data
Numbers help narrow the field. These guides explain where those numbers come from, what they cannot tell you, and how to turn a profile into better questions for a school or district.
America’s small-district reality: how common are small school systems?
Our analysis of regular public-school districts shows how common small systems are, where they are concentrated, and why scale changes a fair comparison.
· 10 min read
An AP label can hide a very different course menu
We count distinct AP courses among matched high-school records, separate missing values from zero, and explain why menu breadth still does not establish individual access.
· 8 min read
PK–5 is common—but public schools use dozens of different grade spans
A national look at how schools group grades, why K–8 and combined campuses complicate comparisons, and what families should verify before assuming a transition year.
· 10 min read
Charter is not virtual: what 98,950 public-school records show
Federal directory flags show that charter status and virtual instruction describe different things—and that missing flags must not be treated as “no.”
· 10 min read
How big is a typical public school? Enrollment benchmarks by school level
Explore school enrollment medians and ranges, and see why the useful comparison changes by school level and community.
· 8 min read
School district spending per student: what the numbers actually mean
A data-led look at the middle and spread of district spending, why district size matters, and why more dollars are not automatically a quality score.
· 9 min read
Do public schools report counselors and nurses? What 91,064 records show
Federal records reveal very different reporting patterns for counselors, nurses, psychologists, and social workers—and important limits behind every percentage.
· 8 min read
City vs. rural public schools: size and staffing in federal data
We compare median enrollment and student–teacher ratios across city, suburban, town, and rural elementary, middle, and high schools.
· 9 min read
Why a district average can hide big differences between its schools
Across multi-school districts, the middle half of school enrollments often spans hundreds of students. Here is how to look beneath one district-wide number.
· 10 min read
The typical school is smaller than the school a typical student attends
Our original analysis compares school-weighted and enrollment-weighted medians. The difference is especially large for high schools—and changes how a national benchmark feels.
· 8 min read
Why school data years do not match—and how to compare them safely
Directory, enrollment, staffing, civil-rights, finance, and geographic files arrive on different schedules. Learn which combinations answer a question and which create false precision.
· 9 min read
Alternative and special-purpose schools need a different comparison
Mission, eligibility, grade span, enrollment, and reporting rules can make a specialized campus look unusual in a general ranking. Use this fairer comparison framework instead.
· 10 min read
Can suspension data tell you whether a school is safe?
Counts, student rates, repeat events, and reporting practices describe different things. Learn what discipline figures reveal and which questions require other evidence.
· 9 min read
How to verify a public-school profile in 20 minutes
A repeatable primary-source workflow for confirming identity, grade span, boundaries, programs, staffing, and dates before relying on a school profile.
· 9 min read
Who counts in a graduation rate? Follow the cohort
Transfers, four-year deadlines, and diploma definitions change the denominator. Work through a transparent graduation-rate example before comparing schools.
· 9 min read
What an English-learner percentage can—and cannot—tell you
English-learner status changes as students enter, progress, and exit services. A changing percentage is not a simple verdict on a school’s language teaching.
· 9 min read
How to compare schools without letting one score make the decision
A practical framework for turning enrollment, staffing, programs, and school visits into a decision that fits your child.
· 8 min read
A school can show strong growth and low proficiency. How?
Achievement describes performance against a standard; growth describes change. A worked example explains why families should read both before judging a school.
· 9 min read
Student–teacher ratio: what the number tells you—and what it leaves out
Why a district ratio is not the same as class size, how specialist teachers affect it, and which follow-up questions reveal more.
· 7 min read
Two days a month: how school absences quietly add up
Use our attendance calculator to see the difference between days missed, chronic absence, and a school-wide attendance rate—and ask better questions about support.
· 9 min read
College credit in high school: the dual-enrollment questions that matter
A course can count toward high-school graduation, appear on a college transcript, and still fail to replace a required college class. Follow the credit through every step.
· 9 min read
AP, gifted, and computer science: how to read program-access data
A reported program is a useful lead, not a guarantee. Learn what to confirm about eligibility, depth, scheduling, and actual participation.
· 6 min read
Why free school meals do not tell you a school’s poverty rate
Community eligibility, individual meal eligibility, and universal meal policies answer different questions. Learn how to read the labels without drawing the wrong conclusion.
· 9 min read
Moving for schools? A research checklist before choosing a neighborhood
Verify boundaries, programs, transportation, future enrollment, and housing tradeoffs before a school profile becomes a real-estate decision.
· 9 min read
The hidden time cost of a school commute
An extra 15 minutes each way becomes 90 hours across a 180-day school year. Compare the real daily journey, including the trips that maps leave out.
· 9 min read
Your school ZIP code is not your school district
Our directory finds thousands of ZIP codes shared by schools from multiple agencies. Here is what a ZIP search can establish—and what only an address check can answer.
· 8 min read