Wow: actual data on the various schools

[Anonymous]

This google sheet claims to report % national merit semifinalist, college outcomes, average SAT scores, etc., across a range of high schools. I found it in a very old thread when I was looking for something else. Perhaps it should be a sticky.

Don't know if it's correct (or from where the data are drawn), but it's seems that apparent impressions casually given on this board are not so uncorrelated with these 'objective' measures.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AnukIDABt_JKdDdZYXlQbnFUQ0VfMHRpTFp1SUIxS2c&hl=en_US#gid=8

[Anonymous]

Actually, opinions on these boards seem to correlate quite well with this information. I don't see any big surprises or anomalies in that data. We are lucky to be in an area with so many great schools!

[Anonymous]

It is in a sticky. It's linked in the first post in the "applying to private schools FAQ" sticky.

[Anonymous]

This is fake. Why / how would the schools release their average sat scores? Wtf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is fake. Why / how would the schools release their average sat scores? Wtf

It is not a fake. As I recall, it was created by a poster, "SAM2," that tries to actually use data to analyze school issues on DCUM. If you click on the tabs, there are comments in the spread sheet that show where the author got the information -- s/he is very honest when s/he is not sure it is a verifiable source. For the SAT scores, as I recall, there were newspaper articles listing the average SAT scores and the author of the spread sheet has linked to the articles where possible. You could click on the link and see what the newspaper articles said about how they got the information -- whether the schools gave it to them, whether it was from some sort of overall report, etc.

It doesn't sound like you have looked at the spread sheet -- if you do, you could see the great amount of work that went into it and all the explanations about methodology. You can also see that it collects a lot of information, such as National Merit Semifinalist numbers or Presidential Scholar numbers, that is publicly released.

[Anonymous]

But it's certainly not current information!

[Anonymous]

Sam2 posting. It's as current as I have time and interest to update it. If I recall correctly, the NMSF data is all up to date. College admissions is about half current and half a year lagging behind. Other data varies. If you want current data, post a link to credible and current sources. I'm happy to add more data; I just don't have to to go find it all.

[Anonymous]

Omg. How much time did take you? Why did you take this on?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Omg. How much time did take you? Why did you take this on?

Not that poster, but I get it. I get compulsive about things like this too, and if I thought anyone else were interested in the things that I'm compulsive about, I would totally share it.

Rock on, Data Gatherers of America!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sam2 posting. It's as current as I have time and interest to update it. If I recall correctly, the NMSF data is all up to date. College admissions is about half current and half a year lagging behind. Other data varies. If you want current data, post a link to credible and current sources. I'm happy to add more data; I just don't have to to go find it all.

thank you thank you.

[Anonymous]

I can't get beyond the first page. Sam2, how do I access?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't get beyond the first page. Sam2, how do I access?

I'm not Sam2, but look for small labeled "tabs" at the bottom of the page and click on those.