It’s no secret that good school districts can improve home prices, and are highly valued by many homebuyers.
Neighborhoods with at least one good elementary school have greater home values as well as higher home price appreciation over the long term compared to homes without good schools, according to the 2016 Schools and Housing Report released by ATTOM Data Solutions, the new parent company of RealtyTrac.
In fact, this trend is so strong in some areas that potential homebuyers in California are even priced out of the market in areas with good schools.
When it comes to buying a home, Millennials especially put a good school district as a high priority, just behind low crime and short commutes, according to a new report from Trulia.
Trulia put together a list of the top 10 most improved school districts in the U.S. Districts include those with at least three schools and at least 1,000 students. The study shows the performance improvement from 2011 to 2015.
In New York City Geographic District 15, test scores shot up to 59.1, up from 22.8, but good luck moving there on a median income. The median home price in the area is about $2 million.
Some areas, such as Phoenix Elementary District saw a significant increase in test scores, but have a long way to go and remain in the bottom half of rankings overall.
Here are the top 10 most improved school districts:
10. Culpeper County Public Schools, located in the District of Columbia, went from being ranked 18 out of 24 to being ranked 14. This is an improvement of four rankings in its area. It consists of 11 schools ages Pre-K through 12th.
9. Social Circle City, located in Atlanta, went from being ranked 27 out of 35 to being ranked 17. This is an improvement of 10 rankings in its area. It consists of four schools ages 3rd through 12th.
8. Victor Valley Union High, located in Riverside, California, went from being ranked 38 out of 47 to being ranked 26. This is an improvement of 12 rankings in its area. It consists of 10 schools ages 7th through 12th.
7. Acton-Agua Dulce Unified, located in Los Angeles, went from being ranked 49 out of 76 to being ranked 35. This is an improvement of 14 rankings in its area. It consists of six schools ages Pre-K through 12th.
6. Phoenix Elementary District, located in Phoenix, went from being ranked 49 out of 50 to being ranked 31. This is an improvement of 18 rankings in its area. It consists of 16 schools ages Pre-K through 8th.
5. Mansfield Independent School District, located in Dallas, went from being ranked 47 out of 61 to being ranked 22. This is an improvement of 25 rankings in its area. It consists of 43 schools ages Pre-K through 12th.
4. SER-Niños Charter School, located in Houston, went from being ranked 48 out of 56 to being ranked 22. This is an improvement of 26 rankings in its area. It consists of three schools ages Pre-K through 8th.
3. Jordan Public School District, located in Minneapolis, went from being ranked 54 out of 70 to being ranked 23. This is an improvement of 31 rankings in its area. It consists of four schools ages Pre-K through 12th.
2. Community High School District, located in Chicago, went from being ranked 102 out of 114 to being ranked 61. This is an improvement of 41 rankings in its area. It consists of four schools ages 9th through 12th.
1. NYC Geographic District, located in New York City, went from being ranked 160 out of 181 to being ranked 82. This is an improvement of 78 rankings in its area. It consists of 47 schools ages Pre-K through 12th.
