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Globalscholar rankings let you see how well a particular school ranks against other schools. To calculate Globalscholar rankings, we use the following:

• Test score information
• Schools grouped both by type
• for example, public schools or private schools
• and by the grade levels offered:

School type	Starting grade	Ending grade
Primary/Elementary :	PK through 03	PK through 08
Middle :	04 through 07	04 through 09
High School :	07 through 12	12 only

Using this information, we calculate the test score average for each school and create the school ranking.

To include a school in our calculation, the school must meet both of the following conditions:

• The school has been marked “graded” by the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES). NCES is part of the U.S. Department of Education.
• The school has test scores for a given year for a minimum of 50% of the subjects offered.

We are continuously collecting more information and updating rankings. Our goal is to provide the best possible information about schools so parents and families can do what is right for their children.

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As with Globalscholar rankings, we base Globalscholar ratings on school test scores. These ratings should help families, children, and school staff understand how a school performs in general, compared with other schools in the same U.S. state.

To support this goal, we have established easy-to-understand ratings to identify a school's education quality. Based on the schools' performance as reflected in the available data, we assign a school the appropriate rating, from a one-star rating to a five-star rating.

About the Globalscholar Rating Stars

When you use SchoolFinder to look up information about a school, you'll see its Globalscholar rating in an easy-to-read one-star to five-star format.

We assign stars based on a school's overall average for the test score data that the school provided:

	School's test score average
	80 – 100 percent
	60 – 79.9 percent
	40 – 59.9 percent
	20 – 39.9 percent
	1 – 19.9 percent

If you have any questions about Globalscholar ratings or if you think we should rate your state differently, email customercare@SchoolFinder.com.

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Why is a particular school not ranked?
This can occur owing to either or both of the following:

• National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) has not graded the school.
• SchoolFinder has not received any test score data for the school.

If you have test score data for one or more schools, we're interested in learning more. Please email customercare@SchoolFinder.com and we can help determine whether we can use your data.

Why use just test scores to calculate Globalscholar ratings and rankings? Why not use other information?

We believe test scores provide key information about school and student performance. However, we're always interested in improving our ratings and rankings.

We want to develop ratings and rankings that help parents and families make better decisions about education. To achieve this, SchoolFinder continues to collect information about teacher quality, the education environment, school neighborhoods, and more.

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