Finding a home near the best schools

March Break is next week, and soon it'll be school's out for summer (hey, at least we can dream of some nicer weather). But the spring busy season is just around the corner, when many people will be out searching for their next home. For many, finding one near the best schools is a big part of their search – along with the size of the home, number of bedrooms and bathrooms and other features.If you’re part of a growing family, finding a home near a good school is probably also near the top of your needs list. Depending on where you live, it may not always be possible to find something within walking distance. But beyond just proximity, you may be more concerned about the testing results of any schools your kids could potentially go to.So, where can parents find this information? Unfortunately, it can take time to dig around for it online.Every year, the Fraser Institute releases “report cards” for schools all across Canada. Divided by province and then again by elementary and secondary schools, parents can view charts online and download PDFs that reveal everything, from average exam marks, fail rates and graduation rates, to gender gaps in certain studies and more. Each school then receives an overall rating out of 10 – 10 being the best score a school can get.In most provinces, there are also other organizations that measure student achievement through standardized tests. For example, the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) in Ontario is responsible for measuring achievement in reading, writing and mathematics in relation to the province’s curriculum requirements. EQAO takes the average scores of these tests (in percentages) and gives each school a grade between zero and 100 – 100 being a perfect score.The task of looking for these scores for every individual school your kids could potentially go to is daunting. Finding a home you can commit to buying is hard enough – making sure it’s within the boundaries of the school district you want, and close to good schools, only adds to your stress throughout the process.Fortunately, if you live in Toronto, there’s a new website that revolutionizes the process. Scholarhood.ca helps buyers find homes close to the best schools in Toronto. The site showcases the boundary data for all of Toronto’s school districts on a map, and uses up-to-date metrics from the Fraser Institute and EQAO to show how schools rank in each district. When you find a district you’d like your kids to go to school in, you can request all the listings within the boundary lines.Related reading:Top 10 fastest improving elementary schools in Ontario