Every school and district on iepguide.org is rated using three scores that work together: the SWD Support Rating, the IEP-Ready Rating, and the Academic Rating. All three are designed for parents of Students with Disabilities (SWD) and put the things that matter most for an IEP — specialist staff, credentials, caseload, and program fit — front and center.
The Three Ratings at a Glance
SWD Support Rating. The 0–100 SWD Support Rating reflects four factors evaluated against what is typically expected for the school's program intensity level: specialist staff presence, staff credential level, program fit for the students served, and specialist-to-student caseload adequacy. Ratings vary based on data availability and relevance to the school's intensity level.
IEP-Ready Rating. The 0–100 IEP-Ready Rating combines SWD Support and Academic performance, weighted toward SWD Support to reflect what matters most for students with IEPs. A school can score well on academics but still have gaps in special education staffing — the IEP-Ready Rating surfaces both.
Academic Rating. The 0–100 Academic Rating is based on SAT/ACT college readiness scores and state-standardized test performance in Math and ELA. Calculated using state-reported assessment data.
The Four SWD Support Factors
- Specialist Staff Presence: Whether SLP, OT, school psychologist, nurse, and BCBA staff are physically present at the school in sufficient numbers for the students served.
- Staff Credential Level: Whether specialists hold credentials appropriate for the students they serve. A CCC-SLP with AAC specialization is better equipped for a non-verbal student than a general speech therapist, regardless of how many specialists are present.
- Program & Intensity Fit: Whether the school's classroom program matches the severity level of students served. Mismatch between program type and student need lowers the score.
- Caseload Adequacy: The ratio of students with disabilities to available specialist staffing, benchmarked against what each program intensity tier requires.
What the Score Bands Mean
- 85–100 Excellent: Full specialist team, credentials well-matched to the program level, low caseloads.
- 75–84 Good: Most specialists in-house with appropriate credentials, reasonable caseloads, generally responsive program.
- 65–74 Moderate: Some gaps in staffing, credentials, or caseload — ask specific questions during your school visit or IEP meeting.
- 55–64 Low: Notable gaps in specialist staffing or credentials for the program level served. Extra diligence required.
- 0–54 Critical: Significant staffing or credential gaps. Verify all services before accepting any placement.
Intensity Tiers
Each district is placed in one of four intensity tiers based on the mix of disability categories its SWD population presents with:
- T1 — Mild: Predominantly mild learning and speech needs. Resource room / RSP programs. Shared specialists acceptable.
- T2 — Moderate: Mix of mild and moderate needs. SDC Mild/Moderate programs. Most specialists on-site.
- T3 — Moderate-Severe: Larger share of students needing related services and specialized instruction. SDC Moderate/Severe. All primary specialists must be on-site full-time.
- T4 — Severe: Meaningful share of students with complex medical, behavioral, or communication needs. Specialized center programs. Full dedicated staffing required.
The tier doesn't change the score itself — it changes which inputs matter most. A district missing a school nurse is flagged as a critical warning at Tier 4, but is not weighted the same way at Tier 1.
Critical Warnings
When a district lacks a specialist that its intensity tier requires — for example, no school nurse or no BCBA at a Tier 4 district — we surface a critical warning on the district card. Warnings are informational; they're meant to help you ask the right questions at your IEP meeting, not to disqualify a school.
Inputs We Use
Scores are built from publicly available data: federal civil-rights data on staffing and discipline, state assessment results, district enrollment, and SWD percentages. We also incorporate verified specialist availability (SLP, OT, school psychologist, nurse, BCBA) and caseload ratios where reported.
What We Don't Do
We don't publish formulas, weights, or a calculator. The scores are designed to be read holistically alongside the tier label, the specialist icons, and the warnings — not gamed against a single number. We also never include student names, addresses, or individual IEP details on the site.
Updates
District data is refreshed regularly as new federal and state datasets are released. The "Last updated" stamp on each state report page shows when that state was most recently refreshed.