Score a district on the factors that predict quality — and what it does to home values
School quality is the strongest neighborhood-level predictor of home values in America — study after study finds a 10–20% premium for top districts over average ones, holding the houses themselves constant, with better downturn resilience thrown in. This tool turns the public data anyone can look up into a weighted score, so you can compare districts on the factors that actually predict quality instead of a single opaque rating — and see what tier the district adds (or subtracts) from the homes inside it.
| Factor | Weight | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Test scores vs state average | 30% | State report cards, GreatSchools |
| Graduation rate | 20% | State education department |
| Per-pupil spending | 13% | State/NCES data |
| Trend (enrollment, ratings) | 13% | Compare 3–5 years of the above |
| Student–teacher ratio | 12% | NCES, district site |
| Program breadth (AP/arts/sports) | 12% | High school course catalogs |
Test scores get the top weight because they drive perception (and thus prices), but the trend factor deserves respect: a district improving from 6 to 8 lifts home values along the way; a famous district sliding from 9 to 7 quietly takes the premium with it. Buyers looking at 10-year horizons are buying the trend, not the snapshot.
A long line of hedonic-pricing studies comparing similar homes across district boundaries — the classic design compares houses on opposite sides of the same street. Estimates cluster between 2–4% per GreatSchools-style rating point at the top of the scale.
For the asset, absolutely: the premium, liquidity and downturn resilience accrue to every owner in the district. Roughly 30% of buyers have school-age kids, but 100% of resale values feel the district.
Useful but blunt — they lean heavily on test scores, which correlate strongly with demographics. This tool's factor approach forces you to look at ratios, spending, breadth and trend, which single numbers wash out.
The district's own boundary-lookup tool (every district site has one) or the county GIS. Never trust the listing — 'near excellent schools' is marketing, not zoning.
Yes — boundaries get redrawn, funding referenda pass or fail, enrollment shifts. The trend factor is your early-warning system; districts rarely change tier overnight.
Yes — your selections never leave the browser; nothing is looked up or transmitted.
Score the district like the six-figure asset feature it is: pull the public data, weight it honestly, verify the exact address. An hour of this homework routinely matters more to your family's finances than every countertop in the house.