I have no doubt that a lot of the talk these days – in the school parking lot, at the dinner table, in cafes and restaurants, and in friends’ homes – is about the recently-released Fraser Institute rankings on elementary and secondary schools. The rankings are controversial.

There is criticism about the institute’s methodology to assertions that private schools have an unfair advantage to claims that the Fraser Institute is attempting to attack public education. And yet, whether loved or hated, the rankings still draw lots of attention. I’m sure that many parents have taken at least a peek at the rankings, if they aren’t already discussing them with family and friends in great detail.

Whatever the controversy or criticism about the rankings, inevitably there are parents and others who do pay attention to them. The reality is that the rankings are a popular discussion topic every year. Indeed, this is the case with my students’ families. In this article, I have deliberately not discussed the ranking methodology or the public vs. private school debate. Rather, I want to guide parents in how to use these rankings.

At a very high level, the rankings might be useful to get a quick overview of all the different schools out there, but that they should be just one of the tools that families use in identifying the right school. My concern with the rankings is that a number of families rely too heavily and put too much emphasis on them. They believe that rankings are a very accurate representation of the quality of a school. I certainly do not promote the rankings in my discussions with parents about the right schools for their children.

At the end of the day, one of the most important factors in determining whether a school is good or not for your child is if it is the right fit. Does the school have the environment in which your child will thrive? Does it provide the type of support for your child’s needs? Will it help your child reach his or her future goals?

I think these are the more important questions that should be asked. Is one school “better” than another because it is ranked higher? Not necessarily. I would urge parents who look at the rankings to think about the questions I posed earlier. Think about what your goals and needs are and then search out those schools that would be able to provide the appropriate support.