With so many statistics to compare, many people become overwhelmed  and confused by all the information. My advice is to focus on the future goals you have for your children. A great example of this is magnet programs. Many schools have special programs such as health magnets, science magnets, engineering magnets, performing arts magnets, etc.. If your child wanted to be a veterinarian, you might do well to compare schools offering programs geared towards that goal.

The next step would be to compare standardized test results. A lot of controversy surrounds Florida's FCAT, but it is a fairly accurate barometer of the learning which occurs in a school. The FCAT tests reading comprehension, math, writing, and science. School grades are based on elaborate formulas comparing the different FCAT tests along with other data. In my opinion, school grades are pretty good indicators of a school's performance. If a school has an "A", there is a high probability students in that school are learning. If a school has an "F", students are probably not learning as much as they could be.

I have added links to a number of websites providing valuable information you can use to help compare schools and school districts. There are links to FCAT results, school grades, school district websites, and much more. I have even put a link allowing you to determine which schools your child will be zoned for when you enter an address. School districts occasionally rezone which schools your child will attend. So there is never a guarantee that you will attend a particular school. This does not happen too often, but it does happen. The best thing to do is to check with the school district as to when they plan to rezone.

Many real estate websites stick a few links to a school district's web site and don't go into the necessary detail to really help their customers address the issues of education when buying a home. Hopefully the links I have provided will help you learn more about Central Florida's schools. If you have any questions, you are welcome to e-mail me at thecoles@watsonrealtycorp.com.

Advice on using this information:

When Dana & I moved back to Florida in 1997, the school system was a very important factor in our buying decision. We knew our children would be attending elementary school, middle school, and high school in the zone we purchased our home. So we used the following steps when analyzing schools.

1st - We analyzed school districts to determine which county we wanted to be in. You can click on the 2nd button of this page to compare school district grades. Seminole County is the only school district I am aware of in Central Florida with straight "A"s for recent years. Needless to say, Dana and I knew we would purchase a home in Seminole County.

2nd - We analyzed individual schools. You can click on the top button of this page to view each school's grade by county. You can click on the 3rd button to view each school's test scores. After analyzing test results, Dana and I knew we wanted to be in one of the following areas: Lake Mary, Heathrow, Oviedo, or Winter Springs.

3rd - We determined exactly which schools the homes were zoned for (remember this can change & there are never any guarantees). You can find out which schools a home is zoned for in Seminole County by clicking on the 5th button and scrolling down the page. Enter the street address and you will find out which schools the home is zoned for.

I hope you find this information helpful.

Sincerely

Kris Cole

**Kris Cole, Dana Cole & Watson Realty Corp. REALTORS^® can not guarantee the accuracy of the information listed on this web site. Many of the links are operated by other parties independent from us.