Rankings
How to compare California school rankings
Learn how California reading and math ranks are calculated, which schools are compared, and how percentile differs from proficiency.
3 min read
A school rank orders schools by their proficiency percentage. If a school ranks 50th in reading, 49 comparable schools had a higher reading proficiency percentage.
What California School Trends ranks
California School Trends calculates separate ranks for reading and math. Each rank uses the percentage of tested students who scored Proficient or Advanced in that subject.
An elementary school's comparison group contains other elementary schools. Middle schools and high schools have their own comparison groups. State ranks include schools across California. County and district ranks use schools in those local areas.
The label beside each rank tells you the subject and comparison group. Use the same label when comparing two schools.
Rank and percentile say the same position in different ways
A school ranked 200th out of 1,000 schools is around the 80th percentile. Both numbers place the school near the top fifth of that comparison group.
Percentile and proficiency are both shown as percentages, but they answer different questions:
- 80th percentile means the school placed higher than roughly 80% of the schools in its comparison group.
- 80% proficiency means 80% of the tested students met or exceeded California's target.
A school with 55% proficiency can rank highly if most comparable schools have lower proficiency.
District rankings work a little differently
District reading and math ranks use districtwide proficiency percentages. When both are available, the overall district rank averages the reading and math results.
