How we rank schools

Ranking schools on test scores is contested: results line up closely with family income. So we rank carefully.

One result at a time

We rank on a single published result, such as Grade 6 math, never on a combined score.

Inside comparable groups

Schools are ranked only against schools of the same board, level and language. The two French-language boards are combined. We don’t rank a group with fewer than 15 schools, except French-language high schools, which we rank with a note because there are only a few in Toronto.

Ties

Schools with the same result share a rank, shown with a T (for tied). The next school’s rank skips the tied places, so two schools tied for 1st are followed by 3rd.

Who isn’t ranked

• Schools whose result wasn’t published (too few students, or no result that year).
• Alternative, adult, vocational and continuing education schools, and schools with “Alternative” in their name.
• Schools that choose students by application or audition: Claude Watson, Ursula Franklin, St Michael's Choir, Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts.

Why we show family income

Each ranked school shows the share of its school-aged children who live in low-income households, from the Ministry of Education’s school information data.

Across Toronto, test results rise and fall closely with family income: schools serving lower-income neighbourhoods tend to have lower scores, for reasons largely outside the school’s control, such as access to tutoring, books at home and time for homework. A school with a modest score and many lower-income families may be doing more for its students than a higher-scoring school in a wealthy area.

To compare fairly, choose “Similar family incomes” on any ranking. It re-ranks each school only against schools whose low-income share falls in the same 5-point band.

Typical

“Typical” is the middle school in the group: half the schools are above it and half below.