How We Rank Schools
Our complete methodology — every source, weight, and rule.
Every ranking on The School Advocate is built from official standardized test results and a formula we publish in full. Nothing is hidden, and no subjective grades, surveys, or paid placements affect a school’s score. This page explains exactly how it works.
Where the data comes from
Scores come directly from each state’s department of education — the same public assessment records districts report every year:
- California — CAASPP (English & Math) and CAST (Science)
- Washington — Smarter Balanced (SBAC)
- Oregon — OSAS / Smarter Balanced (English & Math)
- Georgia — Georgia Milestones (EOG & EOC)
- Pennsylvania — PSSA and Keystone exams
- Texas — STAAR
The scoring formula
For each school we calculate a percentile in English, Math, and Science — that is, how the school performs relative to other schools in the same state and the same grade band. Those percentiles are then combined into a single overall score using fixed subject weights:
- English Language Arts — 40%
- Mathematics — 40%
- Science — 20%
We weight the most recent results more heavily so a ranking reflects how a school is doing now, while still smoothing out one-off years:
- 70% — most recent year
- 20% — prior year
- 10% — oldest year in the window
Grade bands
Schools are only compared to peers serving similar grades, so an elementary school is never ranked against a high school. We use three bands: Elementary, Middle, and High School.
When a school is ranked
To produce a stable, fair ranking, a school must have at least 30 students tested and reported scores in both English and Math. Schools that fall below that threshold, or that are missing core subjects, are shown as unranked rather than given a misleading score from thin data.
States without science testing
Not every state or grade level tests Science. Oregon’s assessment, for example, covers only English and Math. When Science data isn’t available, the school is ranked on English and Math alone, at a 50/50 weighting, instead of being penalized for a test it never administered.
What else we show
Test scores drive the ranking, but a number alone doesn’t describe a school. Where each state publishes it, every profile also includes:
- Multi-year score trends for each subject
- Student demographics and enrollment
- Graduation rates (high schools)
- College readiness — AP and IB participation
- Average class size and student-staff ratio
- Athletics and nearby enrichment programs
Class size vs. student-staff ratio
These are different numbers and we show both where available. Average class size is the actual number of students in a typical classroom, from class-roster data (SARC reports in California, OSPI in Washington, ODE in Oregon). Student-staff ratio divides total enrollment by all certified staff — including specialists and coaches who don’t lead a classroom — so it is usually lower than the real class size. Class-size figures are currently available for California, Washington, and Oregon.
What we deliberately leave out
- No subjective grades, parent surveys, or “culture” scores.
- No paid placement — a school cannot buy a higher ranking.
- No cross-state rankings. Each state uses a different test and scale, so comparing a California school to a Texas school would be meaningless.
How often it updates
Rankings are refreshed each year as states release new results, typically in the fall. The per-school “School Overview” summary is written with AI but is grounded entirely in that school’s own published data — we don’t add facts or opinions the numbers don’t support.
Limitations & corrections
Standardized tests measure some things well and others not at all. A ranking is a useful starting point, not the whole story of a school, and you should visit before making a decision. State data also contains occasional reporting errors; we clean what we can catch. If something looks wrong, email hello@theschooladvocate.com and we’ll fix it. More on the project is on our about page.