IE11 Not Supported

For optimal browsing, we recommend Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers.

School App Puts California Data at Fingertips

California has released information about schools before in various forms — a dashboard, a database of performance scores, a grading system — but now all of that is rolled into a publicly available app.

California has released information about schools before in various forms — a dashboard, a database of performance scores, a grading system — but now all of that is rolled into a publicly available app, known as CA Schools.

The app, announced Monday, can be downloaded from Apple’s App Store or Google Play and provides information about schools based on GPS and location data.

Searching for a school reveals its demographics, test scores, dashboard profile page, even directions to the location.

The data is pulled from the state’s school directory.

The Department of Education developed the app in-house to catalog 10,000 public schools and some private or charter institutions.

“Never before have we put so much school information literally in the hands of our students, parents, and community members and made the information so accessible and user-friendly,” state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson wrote in a press release. “Home buyers can check out schools in their prospective neighborhoods.”

Searches can be shared through email or text message.

 

 

Update: June 6, 2017 10:32 a.m. - This article has been updated to include links to the app and the app's name.

Kayla Nick-Kearney was a staff writer for Techwire from March 2017 through January 2019.