Updated May 2026
Compare US Public Schools
Compare any two US public schools side by side using federal data. The tool shows enrollment, grade range, student-teacher ratio, charter / magnet / Title I status, free-and-reduced-lunch share, district-level EDFacts proficiency, and (for high schools) the four-year graduation rate.
The data behind every cell comes from the NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, demographics, status flags) and EDFacts (proficiency, graduation). For programmatic access to the same fields, the Urban Institute Education Data API wraps both source files. Pick two schools below and the comparison renders inline.
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How to Read the Comparison
The most informative comparison is between schools at the same level (two elementary schools, two high schools) inside the same state — that holds grade range, assessment system, and cut scores constant, leaving the school-level differences (enrollment, demographics, charter or magnet status) to drive the contrast. Cross-state and cross-level comparisons still work, but you have to read more caveats into them.
Watch the demographic context. A higher proficiency rate in the suburbs and a lower rate in the urban district often reflects the well-documented correlation between household income and standardized test scores rather than differences in teaching quality. The free-and-reduced-lunch share — a federal proxy for school-level poverty — is the cell to glance at first when interpreting any proficiency gap.
Don\'t over-rely on a single year of data. EDFacts assessment results bounce year-over-year, especially in smaller districts where one cohort can swing the rate. If a comparison looks unusual, click into each school\'s profile page to see the broader picture and the historical district trend (where available).
What the Tool Does Not Do
The compare tool does not assemble the federal numbers into a synthetic letter grade or composite score. We do not weight enrollment against proficiency to produce a "winner," because that requires editorial judgment we cannot defend with federal data alone. Two schools with very different metrics can both be excellent for the families they serve. The tool gives you the data; the qualitative judgment is yours.
A few honest caveats: EDFacts proficiency and graduation rates are reported at the district level, not the individual school. We apply the district number to every school in that district so that the comparison is at least consistent — but a strong school inside a struggling district will look worse than it is, and vice versa. NCES publishes the most recent year of CCD data with about a one-year lag. Privacy suppression hides results for very small subgroups, which appears as missing data rather than zero.
Methodology
Each cell is the federal data point as published — no normalization, no inferred estimates. EDFacts district-level proficiency and graduation rates apply uniformly to every school in the district. For the full data lineage, refresh cadence, and field-level definitions, see the methodology page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What metrics can I compare?
Every NCES Common Core of Data field we carry per school: total enrollment, grade range, level (elementary / middle / high / other), school type, student-teacher ratio, free-and-reduced-lunch share, charter status flag, magnet status flag, Title I status flag, and city / state. Plus the EDFacts district-level math + reading proficiency rate and the four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate where the district has reported it.
Why do two schools in the same district share the same proficiency rate?
Because EDFacts publishes proficiency at the district level, not at the individual school. We apply the district's rate uniformly to every school inside that district as a faithful descriptor. So when comparing two schools in the same district, the proficiency cell will match — that is not a bug, it is what the federal data actually reports.
Is it fair to compare schools across states?
Partially. NCES enrollment, grade range, and demographic fields are uniformly defined across states and compare cleanly. EDFacts proficiency, however, depends on each state's assessment cut scores — what counts as "proficient" in California may not be what counts as "proficient" in Mississippi. Cross-state comparisons of raw proficiency should be read with that caveat in mind.
Can I compare schools at different grade levels (e.g., an elementary vs. a high school)?
You can, but most of the metrics will diverge by design. Elementary and high schools are organized differently and the federal fields reflect that — graduation rate exists only for high schools, while elementary proficiency typically comes from 3rd-5th grade testing. The comparison still works as a structural snapshot, but you'll want to weigh metrics that mean similar things at both levels (enrollment, student-teacher ratio, demographics).
Why is some data missing for one school but not the other?
The EDFacts collection suppresses results for very small subgroups to protect student privacy, so a school in a small district may show no proficiency or graduation rate while a school in a larger district shows full data. New schools and recently reorganized buildings can also lag in the federal record. Missing cells appear as N/A or a dash — never as zero.
How do I cite a comparison?
Cite the underlying federal sources: "NCES Common Core of Data, [year]" and "U.S. Department of Education EDFacts, [year]". The comparison tool itself is a presentation layer; the data is federal and public.
Compare any two US public schools side by side using federal data. The tool shows enrollment, grade range, student-teacher ratio, charter / magnet / Title I status, free-and-reduced-lunch share, district-level EDFacts proficiency, and (for high schools) the four-year graduation rate.