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Ranking frequently asked questions



1. How does schooldigger.com calculate school rankings?
We rank schools based on the most recently reported test scores. Our ranking system for most states is as follows: we take all the schools that have test scores for Math and English. We take the average Math score across all the grades, and the average English score across all the grades, and add them together to make a combined score. That combined score is then sorted. The highest combined score is ranked #1, the second highest #2, and so on.
2. Why isn't a specific school included on the ranking list?
Schooldigger.com only ranks schools that are designated as "Regular" elementary, middle, or high schools by the U.S. Department of Education. Schools labeled as "Other" or "Alternative" are not included. We only rank schools that have current published test scores from that state's Department of Education. Private schools are not listed since they are usually not required to administer state tests.
3. How does the star system work?
Schools, districts, and cities in the top 10% of the ranking list get five stars. Here's a table of the star ranking:

%
Stars
90-100% 5 Stars
70-90% 4 Stars
50-70% 3 Stars
30-50% 2 Stars
10-30% 1 Stars
0-10% 0 Stars


4. How are districts ranked?
District rankings are calculated as follows: for each district, we determine a Rank Score by averaging the rank percentile of the schools within each district.

For instance, take this example of one district:

SchoolRankRank Percentile
Lincoln Elementary15th of 100 Elementary Schools.85
Jefferson Elementary25th of 100 Elementary Schools.75
Jackson High School5th of 50 High Schools.90
Average rank percentage (Rank Score):   .8333

This calculation is made for all districts, and then the list of districts is sorted by Rank Score. The district with the highest score is ranked #1.


5. How are cities ranked?
Cities are ranked the same way as districts. See #4 for an explanation.


6. Why are some districts or cities not included in the ranking list?
Some districts and cities are not ranked because there is not enough information to rank them. For districts or cities with 9 or fewer schools, 50% of the schools must have a Schooldigger ranking to be included. For districts or cites with 10 or more schools, 30% of the schools must have a Schooldigger ranking to be included.


7. I object to using test scores as the only way to rank schools!
We would be the first to argue that this is not the ultimate way to rank schools and that there are certainly many, many more criteria – objective and subjective – that add to, or subtract from, the overall quality of a school. But we believe that listing schools by test scores is useful, and as a tool should be used by parents in conjunction with all the other criteria available.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact us.