Schools Rankings: Data to Skip

Last week, we covered what data to pay attention to when it comes to school rankings. Need a refresher? Just take a look at the blog post here.

Today, we want to share a glimpse into the data that frankly, just isn’t worth your time when it comes to school search and exploration.

Data to Skip:

• Graduation Rates Georgia’s public school education goal has embraced increasing the overall graduation rates in public high schools. But, guess what? Even the #1 ranked Georgia High School (Gwinnett School of Math, Science, and Technology) doesn’t have a graduation rate of 100% (they’re locked in at 99% as of February 28, 2019). So, don’t put stock in this data point—the college readiness index is much more pertinent to your student’s success.

• AP Participation Rate Skip this data point, as well, because it just doesn’t tell you enough. If any students take just a single AP class, they end up in this data set. This doesn’t speak to the average AP classes taken by high school students at the time of graduation, the expected course/HW load, the breakdown of AP scores, or what colleges want to see. If you see a school with a high AP Participation Rate (80s or 90s), don’t be fooled. Again, this is just telling one part of the story.

  
  We hope that this information adds value as you begin your school search process. Don’t be intimidated by the data—make it work for you!