How We Grade Schools

Our grading system uses statistical z-score normalization to provide fair, context-aware comparisons. A school beating the state average matters more than raw numbers alone.

Category Weights

High Schools

Academics70%

Math, ELA & Science Test Scores

Future Readiness20%

Graduation Rate & College Enrollment

Environment10%

Class Size & Teacher Experience

Elementary & Middle Schools

Academics90%

Math, ELA & Science Test Scores

Environment10%

Class Size & Teacher Experience

Try It Yourself

Drag the slider to see how a school's math proficiency translates to a grade based on its position relative to the state average.

30%State Avg: 50%90%

Z-Score

+0.00

Near average

Intel Score

80/100

Grade

B

A school at the state average (50%) scores 80 points. Each standard deviation above or below shifts the score by 20 points.

The Science Behind the Scores

Why Z-Scores?

Z-scores enable apples-to-apples comparisons by measuring how far each school deviates from the average. A school one standard deviation above average scores significantly better — regardless of the metric.

Why Environment?

Research shows smaller class sizes and experienced teachers improve outcomes. We weight environment at 10% to reflect its meaningful but secondary impact compared to direct academic performance.

Why Relative Grading?

Absolute percentages can mislead. A 55% proficiency rate might be excellent in a challenging district or poor in an affluent one. Relative grading provides context that raw numbers cannot.