Here is an interesting article that was sent to me by a local loan officer, Tom Mahone.

A Simple Way to Answer that All-important Question: How are the Schools?

With home prices extremely affordable, low interest rates and the $8,000 tax credit for First Time Homebuyers, now is the perfect time to shop for a new home.
As exciting as that is, it can be a lot of work to explore new neighborhoods, cities, and sometimes states. And much of that homework can be the research required to determine if that perfect neighborhood contains the right school district for your children. Researching schools and school districts can be a time consuming project, but it doesn’t have to be.
Simply log onto www.SchoolMatters.com to find all the answers that you need to know about any school or school district nationwide.
This great site has all the statistics and information you need about local schools in your new neighborhood, to help you make decisions and ensure that your children end up in the right school.
Want to know the enrollment size of the school, test scores, teacher-student ratio, English and math proficiency percentage information? No problem, the site will provide all of that information and more. And if you want to compare schools in different locations, simply select the top schools of your choice and perform a comparison.
And if your upcoming move requires relocating to a new state, you can even find out statewide educational information. Enter the state you would like more information about, hit go, and receive detailed information about the educational system, including a breakdown of how students performed on state reading and math tests as well as college prep tests, and community demographics.
If a move to a new school district is on the slate for your family, taking the time to do some research will help ensure the experience is a good one. Even if you’re not planning a move, this is interesting data to have on your home state anyway!
And remember to forward this article on to family or friends who may be contemplating a move. They - and their kids - will thank you for it!