How schools are measured
Schools are held accountable through data: test scores, academic growth, graduation rates, attendance, and increasingly measures of school climate and opportunity. Under the federal ESSA law, each state runs its own accountability system and publishes public report cards.
How accountability works
States rate schools on multiple indicators and identify those needing extra support and improvement. The goal is to surface where students are underserved — by school and by student group — and direct help and attention there. See your state accountability guide for how your state does it.
Beyond test scores
Good accountability systems weigh more than a single test: growth (how much students improved) alongside achievement (where they landed), plus graduation, attendance, and college-and-career readiness. Test scores are one signal, not the whole picture, and reading a school by one number misleads.
Data for improvement
Accountability data is most valuable when it drives improvement, not just judgment. Strong schools and districts use data to ask honest questions and target support, rather than to rank, shame or teach to the test. The purpose is better learning, not a better number.
Related resources
See the state accountability guides (all 50 states), the Data-Driven Decision-Making toolkit, and state testing.
Frequently asked questions
- How are schools rated? Under ESSA, states rate schools on multiple indicators — achievement, growth, graduation and more — and publish public report cards. Details vary by state.
- What is ESSA? The Every Student Succeeds Act, the federal law that requires each state to run a school accountability system and report results publicly.
- Are test scores the whole story? No. Scores are one signal among many. Good systems also weigh growth, graduation, attendance and opportunity, and use data to improve rather than just rank.
- What is the difference between achievement and growth? Achievement is where students landed on a test; growth is how much they improved over time. Growth can reveal strong teaching even where scores start low.