Rankings

We are often asked where a certain school, school district, or state ranks in terms of educational quality. There are several reasons why we cannot answer this question:

There are no national tests taken by every student in the country. Tests such as the SAT and the ACT, which are administered by private non-government entities, are taken primarily by students who are planning to apply for college admission and need a standard measure. In some schools and districts, many students are encouraged to take these tests, but not all of them do. Therefore the base that would be used to calculate an average score is not common across all schools, districts, or states.

Additionally, in cases where every student in a school, district or state has to take certain standardized tests, the tests are school, district or state specific. Each locale makes its own choice about which test and which version of each test is best for evaluating the students and institutions in their state.