What are the most important factors in school rankings?

Most rankings love test scores, graduation rates, college placement, and teacher-student ratios. Basically, they’re into stats—like the school equivalent of swiping right on someone because they have a six-pack and went to Yale. But what really matters depends on your child. Are they artsy? Neurodivergent? A future coder or a budding poet? Look at how schools support that. Rankings often miss things like emotional support, extracurricular joy, or how much kids actually like being there. So yes, consider the data—but don’t let it be the whole story. Think of rankings as the appetizer. You still need the main course: a school where your kid can thrive, stumble safely, and grow into their weird, wonderful self.