If you have children (or perhaps plan to) and are considering moving or purchasing a home, the quality of the schools and school district in the area(s) you’re searching is worth consideration.
Schools can have a significant impact on your child’s education, well-being, and their future opportunities, and even success.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation states “...the annual average learning gain for students in kindergarten through second grade is higher than at any time during a child’s years in school. And the ability to read proficiently by fourth grade is so important that not doing so often puts kids on track to drop out of high school.”
According to an article from The Guardian, a study from The Institute of Education found that a good primary school can be of particular importance - “Children who attend a more academically effective primary school show better attainment and progress in key stage 2 (ages 7 to 11) than children with similar characteristics who attend a less effective school.”
Additionally, nursery, pre-school, and pre-K education are also important components in a child’s early development. Ratings for such schools and programs are not as easy to locate as Kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12), but nonetheless, the availability and location of such is another important consideration when searching for a home.
Niche.com and US News provide Pre-K reviews and rankings. For ratings and availability on nursery and pre-schools in the area(s) you’re searching, a Google search with Google reviews often proves beneficial. Additionally, engaging with local community members through social media such as Facebook, Reddit, and Nextdoor can help augment online reviews. Visiting and talking to the owners, administrators and/or teachers themselves will provide additional information and insights.
K though 12 school review sites as listed below are useful tools. They use objective educational data to rate and compare schools. However, you may want to dig further for more subjective information from local parents and educators. This can be accomplished by calling or visiting schools to talk with teachers and administrators. You can also leverage social media to review feedback and ask questions about the school(s) you’re interested in.
Even if you don’t have children yet (or don’t plan to), you may still want to purchase a home in a school district that’s scored "good" on school ranking sites and the community – it’s an intangible asset that can add value to your home over time.
According to a 2017 study by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 26 percent of home buyers considered the quality of schools when looking for a new home.

School Ratings and Review Sites
School ratings are based on various indicators of academic performance, such as test scores, graduation rates, college readiness, and teacher quality. Different sources may use different methods and criteria to rate schools, so it is important to compare multiple sources for scores/ratings and reviews to get the best overall picture.
Some of the most popular and reputable sources for school ratings and reviews are listed below (there may be others). These websites allow you to search for schools by location (city or zip code), grade level (elementary, middle or high school), or type (public or private). Some sites allow you to also filter your search by various criteria such as size (number of students), diversity (racial/ethnic composition), income level (median household income), or special programs.
GreatSchools.org: This website ranks schools from 0 to 10 and also contains “user” reviews. Rating methodology.
Niche.com: This website ranks schools from A+ to F and also contains “user” reviews. It also rates pre-K schools and programs. Rating methodology.
SchoolDigger.com: This website ranks schools from 1 to 5 stars. Rating methodology.
NeighborhoodScout.com: This website provides school rankings along with crime rates, real estate data, and economic and demographic data. This is a pay site, starting at $30. School rating methodology.
U.S.News.com: This website ranks schools in comparison to other schools within a category, such as elementary schools within a specific state. It also rates pre-K schools and programs. Ranking methodology.
For Washington State specific school performance data as it relates to test scores, class size, number of teachers, graduation percentage, and more, check out Washington State Report Card site.
How School Ratings Can Help Guide You Toward Your Dream Home
Once you’ve narrowed down your search for schools that meet your needs and preferences, you can then begin a much more thorough and focused home search using online search sites such as Zillow.com or work with a real estate broker that is familiar with the area(s) you’re interested in based on your research and preferences.
GreatSchools.org is integrated into Zillow.com so your home search can include schools that meet a certain GreatSchools.org rating (1 to 10). You can further validate the GreatSchools.org rating by supplementing with ratings using other sites as mentioned previously.
Here’s an example Zillow home search with the schools search criteria turned on – The school locations are designated by grey pins with a graduation ceremony cap. This particular search is for three zip codes within Snohomish County (WA State).

Conclusion
School ratings are a worthwhile consideration for home buyers with children (or future parents) who want to be confident their children have the best opportunity to get a good education. By using reliable sources such as GreatSchools.org, Niche.com, SchoolDigger.com, NeighborhoodScout.com, and/or U.S.News.com, you can find out how different schools rank in terms of academic performance, diversity, teacher quality, parent reviews, and more.
To substantiate these sites and the data and ratings they publish, consider pursuing additional opinions and feedback from those in the local community or in the trenches at the school.
Once you’re armed with school rating data and local community input, you can feel good about narrowing your home search using online search sites or your local Real Estate Agent or Broker to find homes that are located within the school districts that offer the best fit for your family’s needs and preferences.
Disclaimer: A high rank, rating, or score for a school by any of the aforementioned school rating sites (or any others you use) is by no means a guarantee of a child’s success at that school, thus it’s critical to conduct your due diligence and vet schools via multiple sources.
Thank you for reading this article! If you have any questions or comments, I'd love to hear them - Feel free to post them below, find me on social (@joefrankrealtor) or contact me here.
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