Enhancing Decision-Making for Parents and Authorities, A Comprehensive Analysis and Mapping of School Performance in New York City

There are many factors that can affect a parent’s decision to move to a specific school district or send their child to a certain school. There are also numerous resources to consult if looking for advice or resources that rank schools to aid in this decision-making process. One popular resource is GreatSchools.org. They rank schools on a scale from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest) based on test scores, student progress, and equity. U.S. News & World Report also publishes lists of the best schools in specific cities and states. They rank schools based on college readiness, state assessment proficiency, state assessment performance, underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth, and college readiness. For most parents, all these factors are likely very important to consider when deciding what school their child should attend. However, neither school ranking system considers student experience outside the realm of the curriculum and test taking. By looking at just one of the many sites that rank schools, GreatSchools.org, our goal is to bridge the gap and determine if there is a relationship between student experiences and school ratings.