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What is the Great Schools Ranking of Your Local PS Elementary School?


What is the Great School Rank?  

1 member has voted

  1. 1. What is the Great School Rank?

    • 10
      63
    • 9
      79
    • 8
      75
    • 7
      59
    • 6
      72
    • 5
      54
    • 4
      59
    • 3
      38
    • 1-2
      37
    • N/A
      17


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I just recently researched our neighborhood school, in preparation for my first homeschooling portfolio review. It's done by the school district here.

 

Our neighborhood elementary school gets a 1 on Great Schools, presumably because they don't give out scores of 0. Of 833 public elementary schools in Maryland, it ranks 803rd. 803rd of 833. In the past couple of years theyĂ¢â‚¬â„¢ve hauled up their test scores some, but as recently as 2008 60% of the third graders flunked the Maryland School Assessment in reading and 65% flunked the MSA in math. One child in ten was suspended last year. Only 58% of the teachers are Ă¢â‚¬Å“highly qualified,Ă¢â‚¬ meaning that they have a valid teaching certificate and have passed state competency tests.

 

But, you know, I am required to prove to them that I am providing an adequate education.

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Hey Bill,

 

....

 

This might also explain why it is that when his daughters speak to my dd homeschool graduate on scientific and literary matters, they appear to be incredibly low functioning for their ages despite having taken "honors" classes. I'd be a little frightened to consider what "honors" means in their high school. Or maybe it's because when they didn't know who Socrates or Plato was and wanted to know if "Pascal" was pop singer, my brain kind of starting popping circuits and coming up with error messages, "Can not compute, Can not Compute!"

 

Faith

 

I will say this, I don't personally know of any public schools providing the sort of deep cultural literacy that people strive to achieve with a WTM style education.

 

I saw "Race to Nowhere" the other night (we actually did a screening at the 20th Century Fox Studios as a school Booster Club event and our Principal and many teachers came, and we had a great discussion after the film) but (in case you have not seen it) the main point of the film is how stressed out many kids are today with homework demands.

 

Many are taking a heavy load of AP classes because they can not hope to get into good Universities without a better than 4.0 GPA (they want 4.5 and up).

 

Then as a minor sub-point the filmmakers mention that half the kids that get into the University of California--which ain't easy these days--need to take "remedial classes" in Math and English. Huh?

 

This does not compute. How do you get an A in Honors AP English or Math and need remedial classes?

 

Side note: where does CA rank in among States (I'm afraid to ask :D)

 

Bill

Edited by Spy Car
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The private elementary and middle school my boys attended didn't require a traditional teaching certification, and I thought that made the school better. A certificate alone doesn't much impress me.

 

I just recently researched our neighborhood school, in preparation for my first homeschooling portfolio review. It's done by the school district here.

 

Our neighborhood elementary school gets a 1 on Great Schools, presumably because they don't give out scores of 0. Of 833 public elementary schools in Maryland, it ranks 803rd. 803rd of 833. In the past couple of years theyĂ¢â‚¬â„¢ve hauled up their test scores some, but as recently as 2008 60% of the third graders flunked the Maryland School Assessment in reading and 65% flunked the MSA in math. One child in ten was suspended last year. Only 58% of the teachers are Ă¢â‚¬Å“highly qualified,Ă¢â‚¬ meaning that they have a valid teaching certificate and have passed state competency tests.

 

But, you know, I am required to prove to them that I am providing an adequate education.

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Hey Bill,

 

I found the link. Here it is: http://www.alec.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Report_Card_on_American_Education

 

California is 30th according to their report card. I'm still trying to figure out the criteria, reliability, etc.

 

From my perspective here in Michigan, I'd say 49th is not surprising and is probably a reasonable rating. I honestly thought California would show better and I was surprised that South Carolina ranked lower than Mississippi. This same bil left a great job in Mississippi when his oldest was ready for school so they could move to the good schools in South Carolina. Perception varies greatly! :001_smile:

 

Faith

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Our neighborhood elementary school gets a 1 on Great Schools, presumably because they don't give out scores of 0. Of 833 public elementary schools in Maryland, it ranks 803rd. 803rd of 833. In the past couple of years theyĂ¢â‚¬â„¢ve hauled up their test scores some, but as recently as 2008 60% of the third graders flunked the Maryland School Assessment in reading and 65% flunked the MSA in math. One child in ten was suspended last year. Only 58% of the teachers are Ă¢â‚¬Å“highly qualified,Ă¢â‚¬ meaning that they have a valid teaching certificate and have passed state competency tests.

 

The private elementary and middle school my boys attended didn't require a traditional teaching certification, and I thought that made the school better. A certificate alone doesn't much impress me.

 

Well, Groton and Phillips Exeter don't require teaching certification either, and I'm pretty sure they're good schools. ;) Context definitely matters. Baltimore City does require teaching certification (although you can get extensions for up to four years if you can't pass), and teachers are all supposed to pass the Praxis exams too. So these are teachers who don't meet the city's own minimum requirements.

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Rivka! I hope you have access to some amazing chocolate as you go through this process. It is laughable that you have to prove yourself against a failing system. The state is the pot that calls the kettle black!

 

If you lived near me, I'd have my mil make a rum cake for you to devour while you prepare your paperwork! It's the kind of cake that makes your face go like this -:001_tt1:

 

Faith

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Our neighborhood elementary is a 5 (this is not necessarily where my daughter would attend if she were to go to public school; we are not guaranteed attendance at the nearest school).

Our middle school is a 1! :eek:

And our high school is a 9.

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Hey Bill,

 

I found the link. Here it is: http://www.alec.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Report_Card_on_American_Education

 

California is 30th according to their report card. I'm still trying to figure out the criteria, reliability, etc.

 

From my perspective here in Michigan, I'd say 49th is not surprising and is probably a reasonable rating. I honestly thought California would show better and I was surprised that South Carolina ranked lower than Mississippi. This same bil left a great job in Mississippi when his oldest was ready for school so they could move to the good schools in South Carolina. Perception varies greatly! :001_smile:

 

Faith

 

It's confusing to me too. It has FL listed at #3, which shocks me, but it says at the bottom that 86% of 4th graders were NOT proficient at reading. :001_huh: CA shows 77% being NOT proficient but they're listed at #30.

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The school we pulled my child out of is ranked 9. Did well with many kids, but not out of the box learners. My kid is highly to profoundly gifted, and he literally can still work himself up to tears thinking about the 2 years he spent in school. And this is a school many parents and kids adore. I also thought their focus was extremely narrow and budget issues caused many enrichment and extras to be slowly dropped.

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we would have had a choice of two elementary schools.

one a "fundamental"-although I think it isn't that anymore, is an 8 the other a 6.

 

the middle Fundamental- 5

 

The other a 6

oh and just saw the newer magnet school is a 4

 

The high school a 6 although another possible is a 2

 

Most of them have 4 star community ratigs

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The K-5 school my children would attend, if we did not home educate, is ranked as a 3 out of 10. The school one zone over (across the street) is ranked as a 2 out of 10, and the other elementary school (in the "rich" part of town) is a 3 out of 10. The middle school is a 4, and the high school is a 3.

 

My sister's children all attended or still attend the school ranked as a 3 (where my children would go), and we are less than impressed. My sister has repeatedly said, "You are doing a much, much better job with _______ than the school would do. Keep it up." Over the years I've seen how much effort my sister has put into ensuring a decent education for her children -- now 15, 13, and 9. Honestly, Bill, it has been such an uphill battle. I'm not saying that education isn't work, or shouldn't be work, but I saw what she went through, what she and her husband still have to do to make the public school experience even just barely "work" for their sons and daughter.

 

And I've seen the futility of it all. I think that's what amazes me, the sheer force of will that a parent has to have to babysit-monitor-hold accountable the crappy school system. I had to ask myself, "Why? Why go through that, when we can simply put our effort into learning, and not have the system suck out all the joy?"

 

An educationally conscientious parent here would go crazy trying to change, fix, or work within this failed system. I've seen how parents have had to fight, not just the system, but their own animosity/cynicism/ambivalence towards it. I put all that into the equation, and realized that our energy would be better spent doing the work here at home and in the community, rather than the local public school.

 

There are good schools one town away. These are ranked as 9 or 10 out of 10. This is the difference between E______, New Jersey and P_________, New Jersey. One town's schools are 2 or 3, while the other town's schools are 9 or 10. Guess what a house costs in P_________?

 

My house may have cost half as much as a house in P____________, but I can assure you, my children are no less intelligent than P___________'s children. :tongue_smilie:

Edited by Sahamamama
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Look at the split across the poll results! I find that fascinating. Mine (the two closest) are a five and a seven, respectively.

 

I find it fascinating too.

 

Me three. It does make it awfully hard to "generalize" about schools when these are the results (other than to say as a nation we are not doing well enough).

 

Bill

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Over the years I've seen how much effort my sister has put into ensuring a decent education for her children -- now 15, 13, and 9. Honestly, Bill, it has been such an uphill battle. I'm not saying that education isn't work, or shouldn't be work, but I saw what she went through, what she and her husband still have to do to make the public school experience even just barely "work" for their sons and daughter.

 

 

A "6" school in our area would be a school I would be freaking out about if that was our prospect. I can't imagine what a "2" school would be like. We are failing our children if this is what we are willing to stand for.

 

I salute those who have taken matters into their own hands!

 

Bill

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The one my littles would go to is rated 5, and my oldest would go to a 6. The high school gets a 9.

 

The second link says NV is 18th in state rankings, which is MUCH higher than the last ranking I heard in our local paper, but 75% of 4th graders are not proficient. As my ds taking Traditional Logic would say, "That's not a sound conclusion."

 

 

 

We're planning on a move to AZ soon, which ranks as 45th. Good thing schools weren't a consideration for the move. :tongue_smilie: All the public schools in the town we're going to are ranked as 5-8, and none of them have more than 4 stars.

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Bill, the difference is 3.8 miles.

 

http://www.greatschools.org/new-jersey/pennington/828-Timberlane-Middle-School/

 

Pennington/Hopewell --- Timberlane Middle School = 10/10

Ewing Township ------- Gilmore J. Fisher Middle School = 4/10 (and I think that's even a bit high)

 

The schools are in separate districts, less than four miles apart.

 

Pennington/Hopewell -- median housing price = $567,000

Ewing Township ----- median housing price = $136,000

 

I'm trying to imagine the income we would need to purchase a house at that level. :confused: We can't move. We are locked into this lovely mortgage. Can you tell we bought four years ago? ;) My husband was promised a promotion/raise, but it didn't happen, no fault of his own. Nobody in the company earned more last year or this year.

 

We can't afford private schools for our children. Our elementary schools are not classified as Title 1 schools, so even if they are failing, I don't think we are entitled to an interdistrict transfer. Not that I would pursue that, anyway, I'm simply bringing out how STUCK we are. The schools are crap, we can't move, we can't get a raise, we can't refinance (tried & tried), we can't get a mortgage readjustment (also tried & tried), we can't afford private school, the children are amazingly bright, etc., etc., etc. Everywhere I turn in my life, I'm faced with a "we can't" or an "it won't work" -- except with homeschooling. Now that we can do, even if it is a heck of a lot of work.

 

And, I think that many, many people feel similarly STUCK with (a) poor school choices, (b) high housing prices in better districts/areas, © high costs of private schools, and (d) bright students (not that that is a bad thing).

 

But, yes, I am "stuck" with these bright kids who deserve to get the best education they can, and the public schools are certainly NOT going to do better for them.... at least not the 2/10ths or 3/10ths schools where I live.

 

I just wonder... if you knew that your brain surgeon, attorney, or mechanic was ranked as a 2 or 3 out of 10, would you want to entrust your brain, your business, or your car to that person?

 

Why entrust a child to a 3-out-of-10? I won't do it.

Edited by Sahamamama
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A "6" school in our area would be a school I would be freaking out about if that was our prospect. I can't imagine what a "2" school would be like. We are failing our children if this is what we are willing to stand for.

 

I salute those who have taken matters into their own hands!

 

Bill

 

I've been inside a school here and it wasn't even on the website. I guess it would be a 1 or 2. I was SHOCKED. Here is a quick list:

 

The girls bathroom was next to the boiler room and there was leaking hot water all over the floor. No door going into the bathroom and no stall doors either because it's safer that way. 1 roll of TP about 5-10' away from the bathroom door, out in the hallway, take what you need ahead of time. No soap or paper towels. The classroom I went in must have been 85-90 degrees, it made me want to take a nap. AS AN ADULT, I had to ask permission to use the bathroom and receive a hall pass! I couldn't believe what the hall pass had printed on it:

 

We have respect for

LIFE

PROPERTY

EDUCATION

 

In that order and with the type size descending.

 

I overheard a conversation between secretaries in the office talking about 2 different teachers that had been shot during the summer classes (not killed though).

 

So where I live a 1 or 2 school is a whole lot worse than bad test scores/illiterates. Our 9 and 10 schools would probably be an average public school in SoCal.

 

Horror story number 2. I know of a doctor who had his kids in a private school at 15K/yr. He moved to Colorado and probably started bragging about his kids education. The school joked back with him, that he needed to get his money back because his kids weren't quite up to their level. Ouch.

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And, I think that many, many people feel similarly STUCK with (a) poor school choices, (b) high housing prices in better districts/areas, © high costs of private schools, and (d) bright students (not that that is a bad thing).

 

Yep. If we wanted to buy a home zoned for a school with a high "similar schools" ranking (i.e. that outperforms other schools with similar demographic profiles), we'd have to spend well over a million dollars. There is a Montessori charter school that looks promising but it gets over 100 applicants each year for 34 first grade slots (and siblings of current students get priority so the odds for non-siblings are very slim). Private schools run $15k-$25k per child per year for elementary and that's again assuming that a slot even is available.

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The one we're zoned to is an 8. But I have to say that this info is old. The school the girls actually went to is a private school and is on their list, but has their old address listed. They've been at the new address for more years than I've been homeschooling. Let's see, they went to the new address when my oldest was in 3rd grade and she's now in 10th. (Homeschooling since she was in 6th.)

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We live in an 8. We are in the best school district in our county, according to the state of Michigan. We have many friends who school-of-choiced their dc into our school district. It is a really nice school for special needs kiddos and average kiddos, but they offer nothing in the way of gifted programs or AP classes, and they only have two Honors classes in the entire high school catalog. They are giving the majority of kids a good, solid education, though.

 

The school district I grew up in is an 8. It was a wonderful school. :001_smile:

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We're a 9, the jr high and high school are 10. It's not tempting in the least to send them, but I enjoy living in such an academic driven town.

 

It was also interesting to see my mom's school (private Montessori) ratings. She got 5 out of 5 from community ratings. I don't think she qualifies for the Great Schools Rating. My mom is so oblivious to all this score stuff, she feels validated through the fruits of her labor.

I then noticed the public schools in the immediate area, 3, 4, and 5. Now I know why they like my mom so much, she's sending over solid kids every year.

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To the OP:

 

I have no idea what the names of our local schools are, let alone their rankings.

 

Nor do I care.

 

It has absolutely no bearing whatsoever over why I homeschool my children.

 

Shocking, I'm sure.

 

Thank you for your informative post!

 

Bill

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Public schools are one of the main ways people in our society are educated. I am vitally interested in how it is going. I don't have to have my children enrolled in the public school to still be greatly impacted by them.

:iagree:

 

So have we figured out if the Great Schools ranking actually TELLS us anything? So far all I've been able to figure out is that some schools do better on their standardized testing than others. Since the state's test may be a joke, then it's not surprising if a school gets a 7-8. Or perhaps those schools teach to the test better than others with lower scores, despite the children not really knowing squat?

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:iagree:

 

So have we figured out if the Great Schools ranking actually TELLS us anything? So far all I've been able to figure out is that some schools do better on their standardized testing than others. Since the state's test may be a joke, then it's not surprising if a school gets a 7-8. Or perhaps those schools teach to the test better than others with lower scores, despite the children not really knowing squat?

 

I'm sure that some schools do teach to the test better but I personally don't think that you can get a high score school wide in math and reading if the kids don't actually know something of math and reading.

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Or perhaps those schools teach to the test better than others with lower scores, despite the children not really knowing squat?

 

So is it your contention that you can do very well on a standardized test without knowing anything at all about the actual content you're being tested on?

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