Schools
GreatSchools.org is a fantastic starting place when you find out what town you’ll be calling home next. With the ability to search for your school district by city and state, by actual address or by the school’s name, you will quickly find the school or district you need. Once there, you can sort your results by school type (public, public charter or private), by grade level and by distance from your desired location. The Great Schools website even has its own guide to choosing a new school from a distance, which is full of useful suggestions. Not only does Great Schools provide you with all the statistical data about districts and schools, but it also has a community area where you can chat with other parents directly about schools in the area. Great Schools provides you both with a 1-10 point rating system based on their objective criteria and a 5-star rating system based on community feedback.
Armed Forces Crossroads is a DOD-run website is specifically designed for the military family. It provides some good how-to information, as well as links for researching schools in its Education Section. You must register for this free site to access the data on it, which means providing your social security number and DOB so they can confirm you are a military member or dependent. I immediately received the e-mail confirmation of my registration request, but I could not access the site until my DEERS status was confirmed, which the site says can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Once you have access to the site, you will find a handy checklist for documents you need when changing schools is a big help, especially if this is your first time through this process. School information is available by duty station. There are also a few external links to start you on your own research process.
