How We Rank Schools
Our mission: Help parents find great schools through transparent, authentic rankings.
The Ranking Formula
Final Score = Base Score (0-5.0) + Partner Bonus (0, 5.0, or 10.0)
1. Base Score (0-5.0)
Calculated using a Bayesian average of parent reviews, weighted by review count. This prevents schools with just 1-2 reviews from dominating rankings.
- More reviews = more reliable score
- Review quality matters (verified reviews weighted higher)
- Recency factor: recent reviews have slightly more weight
- Outliers are dampened to prevent manipulation
2. Partner Bonus
Schools that support SchoolBrowse receive enhanced visibility:
Guaranteed top 3 placement in county. Only 1 per county.
Enhanced visibility with CTAs and highlights module.
Ranked purely on review score. Still eligible for awards.
Important: Partner status does NOT affect review scores. Parents see authentic ratings regardless of partnership tier.
Why This Approach?
1. Transparency: Unlike other platforms, we openly disclose that partner schools receive ranking boosts. You know exactly why a school appears where it does.
2. Sustainability: Partner fees fund our platform, allowing us to keep the service free for parents and maintain review authenticity.
3. Merit-Based Foundation: Base scores are purely merit-based. A poor school can't buy its way to the top—reviews still matter most.
4. Quality Over Quantity: Bayesian averaging prevents "review bombing" and ensures schools with few reviews don't unfairly dominate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can schools pay to remove negative reviews?
No. Reviews cannot be removed unless they violate our content policy (profanity, hate speech, etc.). Partner schools can respond to reviews, but not delete them.
How do non-partner schools get visibility?
By earning great reviews! A non-partner school with a 4.8 base score can still rank above a Prestige partner with a 3.5 base score (3.5 + 5.0 = 8.5 vs 4.8).
What prevents fake reviews?
CAPTCHA verification, IP rate limiting, quality scoring, and manual moderation. Suspicious patterns are flagged for review.
Can I trust these rankings?
Yes. We're upfront about our model. Partner schools support the platform, but the rankings reflect genuine parent experiences combined with transparent partner placement.