The 10 most and least attractive school districts in the U.S.

A recently completed study by Trulia analyzed elementary school districts across the nation to determine which attracted the most—and least—families and why. Trulia ranked each district based on the ratio of elementary school children (ages 5-9) to preschoolers (age 0 to 4) within the district; those with a higher ratio were ranked more attractive. A lower ratio indicates that families are moving out of a given district before their children reach elementary school age.

The top 10 most attractive school districts are as follows:

1. Saratoga Union Elementary School District, Calif.
2. Lovejoy Independent School District, Texas
3. Cold Spring Harbor Central School District, N.Y.
4. Glencoe School District 35, Ill.
5. San Marino Unified School District, Calif.
6. Weston School District, Conn.
7. Hillsborough City Elementary School District, Calif.
8. Colts Neck Township School District, N.J.
9. Madison School District, Conn.
10. Warren Township School District, N.J.

Trulia’s Jed Kolko notes that the most attractive school districts often have two factors working in their favor: better housing affordability and lower population density. The status of neighboring school districts as well as the parents’ commute to work can also play somewhat of a role.

The bottom 10, least attractive districts (listed from lowest to highest) are:

1. Hoboken City School District, N.J.
2. Orchard Elementary School District, Calif.
3. Edgewater Borough School District, N.J.
4. Alexandria City Public Schools, Va.
5. Palisades Park Borough School District, N.J.
6. Watertown School District, Mass.
7. Somerville School District, Mass.
8. Sunnyvale Elementary School District, Calif.
9. Maplewood-Richmond Heights School District, Mo.
10. Cambridge School District, Mass.

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