School Scores and Rankings
Each county guide includes test scores for almost all local public schools. The scores cover reading, language, math and spelling for grades 2 to 8 and add science in grades 9 to 11. These scores will give you a good picture of the academic standing of each school.

The scores are presented as percentile rankings and are easily understood. The rankings range from 1, the lowest, to 99, the highest. A school scoring 10 on second-grade reading would rank in the bottom 10 percent of California schools. A school scoring in the 90th percentile would rank in the top 10 percent.

SAT Scores and College Attendance Data
Each guide provides the SAT scores, math and verbal, for the local public high schools and the number of students taking the test. Also presented are data showing how many students from each high school advance to California public colleges and universities. Many parents find this information useful in assessing the quality of prep programs at the high schools.

Private Schools
Unlike public schools, private schools have no central authority administering tests to all schools in a consistent way. McCormack’s Guides does present data on college attendance for each private high school, a rough measure of academic prowess. McCormack’s guides carry directories of the local private schools, broken out by town. Each school will be able to provide information.