The $450K School Rating Trap: How to Stop Overpaying for Demographic Proxies in Greater Boston

Under 1 min read

•December 1, 2025

THE BOTTOM LINE

That GreatSchools 10/10 score isn't measuring teaching quality—it's measuring ZIP code wealth. Buyers pay $370K-600K premiums for demographic proxies while missing schools with superior growth metrics at half the price.

WHO NEEDS THIS

Families with school-age kids shopping in the $800K-$1.5M range who filter by ratings.

KEY INSIGHTS

•GreatSchools ratings reflect student demographics more than teaching effectiveness
•Student Growth Percentiles reveal actual learning gains—often invisible in rankings
•Melrose (8.0 rating) delivers comparable outcomes to Lexington (10.0) at 45% lower cost
•Test score ratings ignore teacher quality, curriculum strength, and college outcomes
•Smart buyers research MCAS growth data, not just proficiency scores

DO THIS NEXT

Look up your target school's Student Growth Percentile on MA DESE website today.

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