Data Scale: FindingSchool leverages an extensive data set that exceeds that of similar rankings, ensuring accurate and relevant evaluations through well-defined weight distributions and scoring mechanisms.
Weight Distribution: We gathered feedback from thousands of families and consulted over 50 industry experts to create ranking weights tailored to the needs of Asian students.
Scoring Mechanism: Each of the 46 distinct data points is evaluated using unique mathematical models, scoring based on its position within the overall data distribution.
Basis for Ranking: Instead of absolute values, we focus on relative differences in data. There is no fixed score threshold for separating schools; instead, the “admission cutoff” is adjusted annually based on data trends, similar to college entrance exams.
The school page currently displays an evaluation card that includes an overall rating and ratings across five key categories, totaling 46 data points. The five categories are: Geographic Community, Academic Strength, Matriculation Level, Extracurricular Activities, and FindingSchool Reviews. Visitors can easily view the overall score and ratings for each dimension (ranging from A+ to C). For boarding schools, detailed total score rankings are also included
The data used for evaluations and rankings comes from three primary sources: official school data, public data, and user-submitted data on FindingSchool.
The entire scoring system is based on mathematical models derived from statistical analysis of samples from hundreds of schools across various levels. Each data point receives a corresponding rating based on its percentile position within the overall predicted distribution.
In the boarding school evaluation:: A- and above account for 45% of the total, B- and above account for 40%, C accounts for 15%.
In the day school evaluation: A- and above account for 30% of the total, B- and above account for 51%, C and others account for 19%.
1. [30% - Matriculation Dimension] : Ivy League admission rate, admission rate for Top 25 National Universities and Top 5 Liberal Arts Colleges, admission rate for Top 50 National Universities and Top 10 Liberal Arts Colleges, admission rate for Top 100 National Universities and Top 25 Liberal Arts Colleges, along with a summary of historical admissions data.
2. [24% - Academic Dimension]: Course offerings (AP, IB, Honors, and Advanced courses), percentage of teachers with a master’s degree or higher, percentage of AP exam scores of 3, 4, or 5, average scores on standardized tests (SAT and ACT), scores in AMC math competitions, and results in FRC robotics competitions.
3. [14% - Extracurricular Activities]: Alumni donation rate, number of clubs and activities, ratings for competitive sports teams, and ratings for arts programs.
4. [12% - FindingSchool Reviews] : FindingSchool website rating, review comments on FindingSchool, and historical rating trends.
5. [8% - Geographic Community]: State resource evaluation, density score of nearby top universities, distance to the nearest international airport, convenience of local amenities, transportation convenience, city crime rate, and educational level of the local population.
| Ranking | University/College | Students |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Princeton University | 8 |
| #3 | Harvard College | 8 |
| #3 | Yale University | 18 |
| #7 | Johns Hopkins University | 6 |
| #7 | University of Pennsylvania | 21 |
| #9 | California Institute of Technology | 9 |
| #10 | Duke University | 12 |
| LAC #2 | Amherst College | 6 |
| #12 | Dartmouth College | 6 |
| #13 | Brown University | 18 |
| #17 | Cornell University | 18 |
| #18 | Columbia University | 11 |
| #18 | University of Notre Dame | 9 |
| #20 | University of California: Berkeley | 6 |
| #20 | University of California: Los Angeles | 7 |
| #22 | Carnegie Mellon University | 7 |
| #22 | Emory University | 5 |
| #22 | Georgetown University | 29 |
| #25 | New York University | 17 |
| #25 | University of Michigan | 10 |
| #25 | University of Southern California | 1 |
| #25 | University of Virginia | 11 |
| #29 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 9 |
| #29 | Wake Forest University | 18 |
| LAC #6 | Bowdoin College | 6 |
| #32 | Tufts University | 12 |
| #36 | Boston College | 13 |
| #36 | University of Rochester | 5 |
| #38 | University of Texas at Austin | 8 |
| #38 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 1 |
| #41 | Boston University | 7 |
| #44 | Northeastern University | 14 |
| #44 | Tulane University | 17 |
| #51 | Villanova University | 5 |
| #55 | University of Miami | 15 |
| LAC #11 | Middlebury College | 14 |
| LAC #11 | Washington and Lee University | 1 |
| #62 | George Washington University | 1 |
| #67 | University of Connecticut | 7 |
| #72 | Fordham University | 5 |
| #72 | Hobart and William Smith Colleges | 1 |
| #72 | Southern Methodist University | 1 |
| LAC #15 | Hamilton College | 8 |
| LAC #18 | Barnard College | 5 |
| LAC #18 | Colgate University | 13 |
| LAC #18 | University of Richmond | 20 |
| LAC #18 | Wesleyan University | 12 |
| LAC #24 | Colby College | 6 |
| #121 | University of Vermont | 5 |
| LAC #25 | Bates College | 6 |
| LAC #27 | Colorado College | 7 |
| LAC #33 | College of the Holy Cross | 7 |
| LAC #33 | Scripps College | 5 |
| LAC #37 | Bucknell University | 21 |
| LAC #39 | Lafayette College | 6 |
| LAC #39 | Trinity College | 14 |
| LAC #51 | Dickinson College | 5 |
| Babson College | 7 | |
| Champlain College | 37 | |
| McGill University | 5 | |
| University of Colorado Boulder | 1 | |
| University of St. Andrews | 7 | |
| UW Colleges Fox Valley | 7 |
| Matriculation | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | University/College | 2019-2023 | 2018-2022 | 2017-2021 | 2016-2020 | 2015-2019 | Total |
| All schools | 381 | 403 | 385 | 371 | 364 | ||
| #1 | Princeton University | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 34 |
| #2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 5 | 6 | 11 | |||
| #3 | Stanford University | 5 | 5 | 6 | 16 | ||
| #3 | Harvard College | 8 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 47 |
| #5 | Yale University | 18 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 72 |
| #6 | University of Pennsylvania | 21 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 112 |
| #7 | Duke University | 12 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 52 |
| #7 | California Institute of Technology | 9 | 9 | ||||
| #9 | Brown University | 18 | 19 | 21 | 17 | 15 | 90 |
| #9 | Johns Hopkins University | 6 | 5 | 5 | 16 | ||
| #12 | Columbia University | 11 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 50 |
| #12 | Cornell University | 18 | 17 | 18 | 13 | 16 | 82 |
| #12 | University of Chicago | 5 | 5 | 6 | 16 | ||
| #15 | University of California: Los Angeles | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 32 |
| #15 | University of California: Berkeley | 6 | 5 | 11 | |||
| #18 | Dartmouth College | 6 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 36 |
| #20 | University of Notre Dame | 9 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 41 |
| #21 | University of Michigan | 10 | 7 | 5 | 22 | ||
| #22 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 9 | 6 | 15 | |||
| #22 | Georgetown University | 29 | 29 | 24 | 27 | 28 | 137 |
| #24 | University of Virginia | 11 | 12 | 17 | 20 | 18 | 78 |
| #24 | Emory University | 5 | 5 | ||||
| #24 | Carnegie Mellon University | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 28 | |
| #28 | University of Southern California | 1 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 31 |
| #35 | New York University | 17 | 20 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 91 |
| #35 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 1 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 18 | |
| #38 | University of Texas at Austin | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 26 | |
| #39 | Boston College | 13 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 58 |
| #40 | Tufts University | 12 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 22 | 82 |
| #43 | Boston University | 7 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 55 |
| #47 | Wake Forest University | 18 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 75 |
| #47 | Lehigh University | 6 | 6 | ||||
| #47 | University of Rochester | 5 | 6 | 11 | |||
| #53 | Northeastern University | 14 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 68 |
| #58 | University of Connecticut | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 24 | |
| #67 | Villanova University | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 21 | |
| #67 | University of Miami | 15 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 53 |
| #67 | George Washington University | 1 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 39 |
| #73 | Tulane University | 17 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 11 | 75 |
| #89 | Southern Methodist University | 1 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 60 |
| #89 | Fordham University | 5 | 5 | ||||
| #105 | University of Colorado Boulder | 1 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 26 |
| #133 | University of Vermont | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 35 |
| #133 | Chapman University | 5 | 5 | 10 | |||
| #133 | Elon University | 6 | 7 | 13 | |||
| #249 | University of Maine | 5 | 5 | 10 | |||
| Matriculation | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | University/College | 2019-2023 | 2018-2022 | 2017-2021 | 2016-2020 | 2015-2019 | Total |
| All schools | 163 | 178 | 197 | 211 | 183 | ||
| #1 | Williams College | 5 | 5 | 10 | |||
| #2 | Amherst College | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 33 |
| #9 | Bowdoin College | 6 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 38 |
| #11 | Wesleyan University | 12 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 60 |
| #11 | Barnard College | 5 | 5 | 10 | |||
| #11 | Middlebury College | 14 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 67 |
| #16 | Hamilton College | 8 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 39 |
| #21 | Colgate University | 13 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 93 |
| #21 | Washington and Lee University | 1 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 22 | |
| #24 | Bates College | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 27 | |
| #25 | Colby College | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 34 |
| #25 | University of Richmond | 20 | 18 | 19 | 15 | 16 | 88 |
| #27 | College of the Holy Cross | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 31 |
| #30 | Lafayette College | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 29 |
| #30 | Bucknell University | 21 | 19 | 21 | 17 | 16 | 94 |
| #33 | Colorado College | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 34 |
| #35 | Scripps College | 5 | 5 | 10 | |||
| #35 | Franklin & Marshall College | 6 | 7 | 13 | |||
| #35 | Occidental College | 5 | 8 | 10 | 23 | ||
| #38 | Skidmore College | 5 | 5 | ||||
| #38 | Union College | 12 | 12 | ||||
| #39 | Trinity College | 14 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 54 |
| #45 | Union College | 6 | 7 | 12 | 25 | ||
| #46 | Dickinson College | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 25 |
| #46 | Connecticut College | 5 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 25 | |
| #59 | St. Lawrence University | 6 | 8 | 14 | |||
| #70 | Hobart and William Smith Colleges | 1 | 5 | 6 | 12 | ||
| #86 | Stonehill College | 5 | 5 | ||||
| Matriculation | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | University/College | 2019-2023 | 2018-2022 | 2017-2021 | 2016-2020 | 2015-2019 | Total |
| All schools | 5 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 0 | ||
| #3 | McGill University | 5 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 23 | |
| Matriculation | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | University/College | 2019-2023 | 2018-2022 | 2017-2021 | 2016-2020 | 2015-2019 | Total |
| All schools | 7 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| #33 | University of St. Andrews | 7 | 12 | 19 | |||
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Baseball
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Basketball
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Crew
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Cross Country
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Field Hockey
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American Football
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Baseball
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Basketball
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Crew
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Cross Country
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Field Hockey
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American Football
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Golf
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Lacrosse
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Riding
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Sailing
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Skiing
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Soccer
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Softball
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Squash
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Tennis
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Track and Field
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Volleyball
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Wrestling
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Music Listening Club
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Taft Coding Club
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Taft Interact Club
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Taft Recreational Sports Club
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Model United Nations Club
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The Political Awareness Club
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Music Listening Club
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Taft Coding Club
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Taft Interact Club
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Taft Recreational Sports Club
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Model United Nations Club
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The Political Awareness Club
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Taft Republican Club
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Debate Club
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The UNICEF Club
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The Wildlife Conservation Club
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Environmental Awareness Club
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Frisbee Club
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French Club
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Japanese Culture Club
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Chess Club
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The Taft Typing Club
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The Black Alliance Club
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The Monetary Literacy Club
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African Dance Club
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Taft Cooking Club
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Formula One and Motorsports Club
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Medical Education Club
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Taft Etiquette Club
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Creative Writing Club
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Pro-Choice Club
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History Club (formal alias TBD)
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Acting
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Chamber Choir
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Dance
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Jazz
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Music
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Music Theory
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Acting
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Chamber Choir
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Dance
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Jazz
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Music
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Music Theory
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Public Speaking
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Stagecraft
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Theater
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3D Design
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Ceramics
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Drawing
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Film Production
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Filmmaking
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Painting
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Photography
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Sculpture
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Studio Art
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Art
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Design
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Storytelling
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