A recent joint report from Forbes and GreatSchools debunks a powerful myth in housing. There’s little correlation between Public School Quality and the Median Price Point for a home.
In other words, the most expensive districts don’t always have the best schools. And spending per pupil seems only loosely correlated, too.
The study, titled America’s Best Schools For Your Housing Buck, puts tiny Falmouth, Maine at the top of its 2011 list.
Falmouth is a city of less than 11,000 people, and its school system educates roughly 2,000 children. With a median home sale price of near $350,000, Falmouth is the only city to score a 100 on the Forbes/GreatSchools list.
The complete Top 10 Best Schools For Your Housing Buck list follows:
- Falmouth, ME (Score: 100; Median Price: $351,550)
- Mercer Island, WA (Score: 99.12; Median Price: $708,740)
- Pelle, IA (Score: 98.25; Median Price: $148,200)
- Barrington, RI (Score: 97.96; Median Price: $296,010)
- Bedford, NH (Score: 97.96; Median Price: $293,730)
- Manhattan Beach, CA (Score: 97.69; Median Price: $1,278,980)
- Moraga, CA (Score: 97.69; Median Price: $722,010)
- Parkland, FL (Score: 95.98; Median Price: $426,390)
- St, Johns, FL (Score: 95.98; Median Price: $181,700)
- Southlake, TX (Score: 95.74; Median Price: $476,880)
One reason why Falmouth, Maine, tops this list is because the area’s Unemployment Rate is low, and so is Teacher Turnover — just two teachers have left for jobs in other districts since 1998. In fact, each of the ranking cities boast similar strengths.
To see the Top 10 areas in a variety of price ranges, visit the Forbes website.