Data Scale: FindingSchool uses a large-scale, multi-source data system to evaluate hundreds of U.S. private schools through clearly defined weighting and scoring methods.
Weight Distribution: Based on feedback from thousands of families and input from over 50 industry experts, the ranking weights are designed to reflect the needs and priorities of Asian students and families.
Scoring Mechanism: The 32 data points are evaluated using mathematical models and each school's percentile position within the overall data distribution.
Basis for Ranking: Rankings focus on relative performance among schools, rather than absolute values. There is no fixed score threshold; a school's position is determined by its relative performance within the overall data distribution for that year.
The school profile features an Evaluation Card with an overall rating and ratings across six key categories covering 32 data points: Matriculation Level, Academic Strength, Extracurricular Activities, FindingSchool Reviews, Asian Student Management, and Geography and Surroundings. Visitors can easily view performance across dimensions ranging from A+ to B-.
The data used for evaluations and rankings comes from three primary sources: official school data, public data, and user-submitted data on FindingSchool.
Ratings range from A+ to B-, with distributions varying by school type:
In the boarding school evaluation: Schools rated A- to A+ account for 58%, while schools rated B- to B+ account for 42%.
In the day school evaluation: Schools rated A- to A+ account for 40%, while schools rated B- to B+ account for 60%.
30% - Matriculation Dimension: HYPSM (T5) admission rate; admission rates for Top 25 National Universities + Top 5 Liberal Arts Colleges + Top 3 Art Schools; Top 50 National Universities + Top 10 Liberal Arts Colleges + Top 6 Art Schools; Top 100 National Universities + Top 25 Liberal Arts Colleges + Top 10 Art Schools; along with a summary of historical matriculation data.
24% - Academic Dimension: Course offerings (including AP, IB, Honors, Advanced, College-level, Dual Enrollment, and other AP-equivalent courses); percentage of teachers with a master’s degree or higher; AP exam score distribution; average SAT/ACT scores; FRC robotics competition results.
14% - Extracurricular Activities: Alumni donation rate; number of clubs and activities; ratings for competitive sports teams; ratings for arts programs.
14% - FindingSchool Reviews: FindingSchool website rating; review comments (both long and short) on FindingSchool; historical rating trends; with a focus on multilingual reviews (including English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, etc.).
10% - Asian Student Management: Boarding ratio (boarding schools only); housing arrangements and management (day schools only); first-year Asian international student retention rate; presence of Asian language teachers or staff responsible for student management; annual visits to Asia; international student ratio.
8% - Geographic and Surroundings: State resource evaluation; density score of nearby top universities; convenience of local amenities; city crime rate; educational level of the local population.
