Compare your elementary school to schools in other countries

[Halcyon]

Learned about this site that allows you to "look up" your local school and comapre it to schools in Singapore, Finland, etc.

 

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/12/how-does-your-childs-school-rank-against-the-rest-of-the-world/266057/

 

Generally, our local school get 55% in math and 65% in reading. against Singapore, 35% and 56%, respectively.

[ebunny]

 

Generally, our local school get 55% in math and 65% in reading. against Singapore, 35% and 56%, respectively.

 

Are those higher scores in your local school due to grade inflation?

I do know that Asian schools, by default, are stingy wrt higher grades/marks.

 

Intriguing site.

 

ETA: Oh, it's more confusing than I thought? How did they measure the district/county in the U.S to a country (Sg, Finland)? What are the parameters?

[Roadrunner]

Mine is 70%. Is that good? I am not sure what to make of those numbers. How can they possibly do such a comparison on a local level?

[Alte Veste Academy]

I didn't see where it lets you select an individual school, or find where I could compare to only one country. How did you do that? If it doesn't let you compare individual schools, I think the stats are pretty gray because where I live now, the school just down the street is supposed to be spectacular but many others in this district are supposed to be just awful.

[paceofnature]

Our local scores are 36% math and 39% reading and compared to Singapore they are 20% math, 30% reading....

[Neige]

Eep - 30% math, 38% reading and 16% math 30% reading compared to Singapore.

[Arcadia]

My local school district (need 41%, minority 75%)

District vs International is 31% Math 42% reading against Singapore 17% math 33% reading

District vs National is 40% Math 43% reading

District vs State is 51% Math 55% reading

 

For one of the better school district nearby (need 2%, minority 47%)

District vs International is 79% Math 87% reading against Singapore 60% math 81% reading

District vs National is 85% Math 88% reading

District vs State is 91% Math 92% reading

 

One of the "bottom" district nearby (need 88%, minority 98%)

District vs International is 23% Math 27% reading against Singapore 12% math 20% reading

District vs National is 31% Math 28% reading

District vs State is 42% Math 38% reading

 

The distance between the two districts are about 21 miles by car. From my school district to the better one is 10 miles.

[Arcadia]

I didn't see where it lets you select an individual school, or find where I could compare to only one country.

 

You can only choose the school district, not the school. The bottom right allows you to pick one country to compare out of four (Canada, Finland, Singapore, Switzerland)

[Crimson Wife]

Our district comes out 33% in math, 45% in reading. The districts in the more affluent surrounding towns come out 41/48, 61/74, 66/75, 66/78, and the most chi-chi town in the area comes out 81/87. If our house were just over the line into the next town, it would have a market value probably $200+k more because it would be zoned for the better district.

[rdj2027]

Oy, we will be moving from CA to VA. The district we will live in scored lower than the one in CA. I would not have expected that. Of all the ones we have lived in, RI had the lowest scores (I believe that, our kids had to catch up coming to CA) and MA the highest ( this is where they started they school career). Yes, they thought RI was ridiculously easy when we moved there.

[junepep]

Ouch, but I guess that it could be worse, we've apaprently improved on both scores by several percentage points over the last few years:

vs. the world

math - 35%

reading - 47%

 

vs. the nation (we're almost average o.O I had no idea how bad education must be in this country)

Math 44%

Reading 48%

 

vs State

Math - 37%

Reading - 41%

 

vs Finland

Math - 28% (singapore 19%)

Reading - 32% (singapore 38%)

 

I don't know whether to be horrified or vindicated because I chose to homeschool... neither really make me feel good.

[Chelli]

Our district compared to the nation is 42% math and 40% reading.

 

Compared to Finland, we are 19% math and 24% reading.

 

Compared to Singapore, we are 18% math and 30% reading.

 

Now you know why I homeschool and that you shouldn't bank on small town=good school. It's depressing.

[mom2scouts]

Interesting. My district is 50% in math and 63% in reading. I have much older children than the ones I'm homeschooling now and I've told people that I've been watching the district go downhill for years. It does show that the percentages have dropped just in the last five years.

[regentrude]

Now, the really shocking comparison would be middle school. Elementary school was not so bad - what happens in 5th/6th grade is truly abysmal.

[Farrar]

Didn't work for DC. The lack of counties confused the interface greatly. But presumably it wasn't good. And I'm not surprised.

[Dahliarw]

In the 60s and 70s overall for my district. Guess they teach to the test. :(

[SunnyDays]

Ours was 65/69 compared to international. This is THE desirable district in the area, so I can't exactly count it as good news for our area as a whole. :(

 

[tagglelim]

Ouch. Ours was 31% Math / 35% Reading vs. International. Only 17% Math / 27% Reading when compared to Singapore. We knew we lived in a non-desirable district, but ouch.

[MistyMountain]

The district where I grew up is 66/66 compared to international and 74/68 compared to national. The district where I live now is 44/46 compared to international and 53/47 compared to national. I feel bad we live in a school district that performs worse than where I grew up. The school they go to does much better than the rest of the district though. I would be curious to compare the school itself to international and national scores. I am surprised where I grew up does pretty good compared to the international scores. I was expecting even worse.

[ElizabethB]

Local school vs world 66/72 vs Singapore 45/63.

 

School district down the road a bit where I have tutored in the past...vs world 18/22 vs Singapore 9/16.

 

Interestingly, the while both nearby districts are good, the district that many parents here think is better scored 56/65 vs world and 36/55 vs Singapore. You pay a bit more for a house there than in the area where the schools scored 66/72, ironically. But, prices here are low for such schools compared to similar quality schools in other places.

 

(You can get a nice 4BR house in the $200K range in the 66/72 district, and a sold in Jan 2013 3BR, 2,598ft house went for $155K.)

[Jean in Newcastle]

For some reason, they had my county, but not my school district listed.

[Butter]

About average (just below). District we'll be moving to next month is well above average. And has more minorities than our current district (different race, however, DC area vs. San Antonio TX).

[jennynd]

56% math 74% reading internationally. I don't really think it is a shocker. Looking at what my DS's PS teaaching for math. It really is trying to teach the bottom not the average and above.

[Crimson Wife]

I feel bad we live in a school district that performs worse than where I grew up.

 

 

This is true for me as well. The district in Massachusetts where I grew up scores 83/89. It outscores the towns out here in California that have similar demographics; I'm not sure if that is a reflection of MA having good schools, CA having mediocre ones, or both.

[Nan in Mass]

So I have a stupid question - If my district scores 50% internationally, that means that my district is the same as the average of the rest of the world, right? Which is fine, yes? It doesn't mean my district is better than the rest of the world, but it doesn't mean it is worse, either? Or have I got this confused?

 

Nan

[Alessandra]

We score very highly vs international, national, and state stats. We are comparable to Canada, Finland & Switzerland. Behind Singapore in math.

 

I think that is in part due to the fact that my state has very small districts, without a lot of socio-economic disparity. Our area also has a significant ethnic minority population -- mostly Asian, and many of those families who are here specifically for their children's education.

[Melissa B]

Ours is interesting. We have two choices for our county. The county school district which is all the schools in the county minus one. And then we have one school that stands alone as its own school district. How can that be? I've never heard of one school being its own district. And that school has numbers well above the county district numbers.

[Forgiven]

No surprises where I am either (I did not go through these schools, but my husband, who is a genius--no thanks to his schooling--did):

 

World:

Math: 36%

Reading: 34%

 

National:

Math: 45%

Reading: 36%

 

State:

Math: 45%

Reading: 35%

 

Singapore:

Math: 20%

Reading: 26%

 

Just horrible. Over the past five years the reading along has gone down over 10%. I'm so glad we homeschool!

[Forgiven]

This is true for me as well. The district in Massachusetts where I grew up scores 83/89. It outscores the towns out here in California that have similar demographics; I'm not sure if that is a reflection of MA having good schools, CA having mediocre ones, or both.

 

I grew up in Massachusetts too and I just checked the numbers of the district I grew up in. Much better than where I live, and scored well compared to Singapore and the other countries, especially Switzerland, not that it means anything, but I really do wish I still lived in Mass right now.

 

ETA: The district I was in for highschool kicked butt against Singapore. LOL

[VeritasMama]

Are those higher scores in your local school due to grade inflation?

I do know that Asian schools, by default, are stingy wrt higher grades/marks.

 

Intriguing site.

 

ETA: Oh, it's more confusing than I thought? How did they measure the district/county in the U.S to a country (Sg, Finland)? What are the parameters?

 

Here is the FAQ about the "Global Report Card" and what was used as the assessment.

 

Our district, where there is currently a heated debate over school vouchers, had scores of 45% for math, 41% for reading compared Internationally. The surrounding school districts are much higher. The district that is literally just down the street from me had scores of 65% and 60%.

 

We passed open enrollment a few years ago, and so parents can send their children to the surrounding school districts, and it doesn't seem to have affected the local test scores. The open enrollment spots fill up quickly, I really hope we are able to get vouchers passed. There are many high performing private schools in our district, it would be nice if more low income families could have access to them.

[MBM]

Our district scored 81 in math and 86 in reading. I'm not unhappy with our schools.

[wapiti]

.

Edited January 12, 2016 by wapiti

[8filltheheart]

I didn't read the details of the comparison (I'm too lazy), but how does the comparison take into acct the vast differences in population? When comparing the educational system of countries that have populations that are smaller than major US cities (Singapore's population is 5.3 million and Switzerland's is around 8 million), it seems that it would be next to impossible to have an apples to apples comparison to a population of over 300 million)

[Spy Car]

Too bad it doesn't have schools instead of districts. Our school district includes a lot of troubled schools. But I'd bet our elementary school would score very highly in an international competition.

 

Bill

[Flux]

Wow. I'm saddened, but not terribly surprised. I'd have hoped we were at least 10% higher... these numbers feel accurate, though. Private schools abound!

Thanks for the link.

 

District vs. International

Math 4% Reading 5%

 

District vs. National

Math 6% Reading 5%

[FriedClams]

Our local public schools...

Math 21%

Reading 33%

 

vs. Finland:

9% reading

19% math

 

 

Now my homeschool.... :cool: MUCH better

 

Makes me want to vomit thinking of those poor kids in school here.

[momto2Cs]

Oh, this is just horrible!

 

Our district compared to the world is 23% math and 22% reading.

 

Our district compared to the nation is 31% math and 23% reading.

 

Our district compared to the state is 41% math and 33% reading (and really, looking at these other numbers, what does this say about the state of education in California?)

 

Compared to Finland, we are 11% math and 11% reading.

 

Compared to Singapore, we are 12% math and 16% reading.

 

Compared to Switzerland, we are 17% math and 22% reading.

 

And compared to Canada, we are 15% math and 15% reading.

 

Is it any wonder we homeschool? Interesting though, the district across town, in the "nicer" area, has world scores of 45% math and 64% reading. The school district I went through as a kid has 33% math and 42% reading. We live in an area where the schools are 90-something percent Hispanic, which while the other areas I cited have a fairly high Hispanic population, aren't at that percentage - almost 50/50 in those areas.

[Arcadia]

Too bad it doesn't have schools instead of districts. Our school district includes a lot of troubled schools. But I'd bet our elementary school would score very highly in an international competition.

 

Bill

 

I just need to look at my school district's API report to see the disparity. Even in the same school the disparity is there.

[Spy Car]

 

 

I just need to look at my school district's API report to see the disparity. Even in the same school the disparity is there.

 

I'm pretty familiar with the disparity of the district's overall API scores and our school's. We have a school that is getting 91-97% average scores on math and reading on the CSTs, so I would have enjoyed seeing the international comparison. I bet we'd fare well.

 

Bill

[Hwin]

My school district did better than I expected at 57/61. Not sure how they managed that but all of the schools in our area seem to be in the same range. We all have very small classes, though.

[a27mom]

So I imagine a score around 50% would be acceptable. The average student in your school district would do better than 50% of the students in the compared country. Anything better than 50% would be above average, then. Of course I guess if you think you are specifically trying to be in a top tier district you may be disappointed with something like 60%

 

So far my districts are doing well. The map isn't working well, sometimes the drop down menu doesn't appear. Our current district is better in some areas and slightly below average in others. But I know that our local school is "better" than other schools in the district. (Your district should have a report on its website.). The main district I grew up in seems to be on target or with the world in reading, though a bit low in math. I am not surprised. This was a more economically challenged area. The wealthy school district I attended in CA briefly, is above average everywhere.

 

I just don't find the results shocking. Except that I am shocked the district I grew up in did so well. Switzerland must not excell at reading.

[Arcadia]

We have a school that is getting 91-97% average scores on math and reading on the CSTs, so I would have enjoyed seeing the international comparison. I bet we'd fare well.

 

Bill

 

 

I am curious on one hand to see the comparison. On the other hand, the top school (API 998) in my district is a lottery school so the comparison won't tell anything new.

 

Switzerland must not excell at reading.

 

 

I am curious how you come to that conclusion?

[stripe]

Mine is better than I thought, given the recent release of state exam results! Both are in the 60s.

[ItoLina]

Didn't work for rural Hawaii, they only have Honolulu :-( we are weird too because the whole state is one district, so I want sure what to put for that. I am sure it would not have been good though.

[Myeightkiddies]

The old district in Florida scored barely 70 percent.

 

The new district in Ohio scored barely 80 percent.

[Kathryn]

Won't work on my i-things and my Internet is down so can't use the computer. I'm interested in what my district would score though.

[Spy Car]

The old district in Florida scored barely 70 percent.

 

The new district in Ohio scored barely 80 percent.

 

Do you realize those are considered very good scores?

 

Bill

[ElizabethB]

Too bad it doesn't have schools instead of districts. Our school district includes a lot of troubled schools. But I'd bet our elementary school would score very highly in an international competition.

 

Bill

 

 

Right--when we lived in your area, the local school was good but swamped by the district. Likewise, our school in the Northern Virginia neighborhood was good but the district as a whole was also swamped, but not as much as the swamping in your area. Where we live now, there are only a few schools in each district.

[boscopup]

Yeah, looking at a district doesn't really tell me much. I looked at a couple districts nearby that have really good schools (including the high school I attended, which actually had some PhD's teaching honors and AP courses... in the field of their degree ;) ), and one was really great, while the other was abysmal. The difference? The really great one is a small city with a small number of schools. They don't really have a school that is only in the "bad part of town". Their schools are much more diverse. The district that did poorly has schools that are in a large, poor area. They usually struggle to have passing students period. And with no choice of attending a better school, those poor kids are stuck (and our state teacher's union is playing all these ads on the radio lately to say how horrible it is that certain politicians voted for a bill that would allow vouchers, so you know, a kid living in the "slums" could actually attend a school with a halfway decent academic record). I remember taking the Alabama Graduation exam back in in the mid-90's (before they restructured it to make it 8th grade level, supposedly), and it had questions like "Which of these is a triangle?" or "Which of these is a color?" My homeroom teacher had to tell us to stop laughing while we took the test!!! This was at the good school. Across town, there were schools with a 50% pass rate on that test. I'm telling you, my 8 year old could have passed that test.That's telling me that those schools were basically worthless. So yes, they bring down the district's results, telling me absolutely nothing.

 

My own area's schools are not so good, but it's a rural area. I am not surprised. The elementary we're zoned for *was* a failing school, but they've improved in recent years, supposedly.

[a27mom]

 

 

 

I am curious how you come to that conclusion?

 

About Switzerland and reading. I noticed that every district I checked did better than Switzerland with reading scores. The district that was 58% compared to the rest of the world, was 60 % compared with Switzerland. So Switzerland would be slightly below average in reading. Just doing the math.