Master file of school "peer index" scores here!

A list of schools sorted by their "peer index" scores is now available in an excel file -- along with their grades and rankings on quality reviews.

Each school's grade was determined in large part by comparing its test results, attendance and survey results to the 20 schools above and the 20 schools below. For high schools, the "peer index" score must be within 0.5 of theirs.

A low peer index for elementary schools reflects a low-need, higher demographic student body; for some reason, this is reversed for middle and high schools. Check out the list to see which other schools your child's school was compared to in order to determine its grade.

Here is DOE's explanation:

1) Elementary & K-8 - peer index is a value from 0-100. We use a composite demographic statistic based on % ELL, % SpEd, % Title I free lunch, and % Black/Hispanic. Higher values indicate student populations with higher need

2) Middle & High - peer index is a value from 1.00-4.50. For middle schools, we use the average 4th grade proficiency ratings in ELA and Math for all their students that have 4th grade test scores. For high schools, we use the average 8th grade proficiency ratings in ELA and Math for all their students that have 8th grade test scores. Lower values indicate student populations with higher need.

Have any observations? Leave them as a comment on the blog. Thanks to Jim Devor for the file.