Find reviews of a K-12 school
Who reviews a K-12 school, and can you trust them?
Plumb does not review a K-12 school itself. We tell you which sites do, and grade each on the one thing that decides whether to believe it: how independent and evidence-based the ranking is.
| Grade | Review site | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | B+ | Grades: its age-and-content ratings for kids' media Independent age-and-content ratings for families, behind a metered paywall. |
| 2 | B | Grades: its 1-10 school ratings A school score that critics say tracks neighborhood income as much as teaching. |
| 3 | B | Grades: its survey-based 'Best Colleges' lists Its 50 college "rankings" are popularity lists built from self-selected student opinion surveys, not measures of quality; the method is transparent and not for sale, but critics say small per-school samples make it more vibe than verdict. |
| 4 | B- | Grades: its alumni-reviewed coding-bootcamp rankings Verified-alumni reviews drive the bootcamp rankings, but the catch is that the same bootcamps can pay SwitchUp for lead-generation placement, so read the partner labels. |
| 5 | C+ | Grades: its K-12, college, and neighborhood grades Solid school data, but the schools you research are paying for reach and leads. |
| 6 | C+ | Grades: its 'best of' brokerage, bank, and student-loan picks Useful explainers, with 'best' lists steered by affiliate commissions. |
| 7 | C | Grades: its student ratings of professors A massive, free crowd-rating board for college professors, but the ratings are anonymous and unverified, and researchers say they track likeability and easiness more than teaching quality. |
| 8 | C | U.S. News & World Report (Best Lawyers/Hospitals/Colleges) High Scoring Confidence Ratings & rankings Grades: its college, hospital, and law-firm rankings Influential rankings leaning on reputation surveys, with badge fees from the institutions on top. |
These are the sites that review a K-12 school (and the rest of the education). Columns are the five rubric dimensions, scored 0-5, with each column's weight shown in its header (independence and evidence carry the most). See the full methodology.