The important number imo is the “similar schools “rank where they adjust for demographics. For example, Carlsbad High is a 9 state rank but a 4 similar schools rank but San Marcos High is a 9 state rank and a 9 similar schools rank. The similar schools rank tells me how much teaching/hard work is going on rather than just having good socioeconomics and from the looks of Carlsbad High ( as an example, don’t mean to pick on them), other schools with a similar demographic work much harder and score much higher. Mira Mesa having 5 out of six elementary 9 and above is very impressive btw. Oh, one more point about test scores and property values if in fact they correlate – if you live in SEH or Mira Mesa or some other less vaunted but still good school system and you transfer your high performing kids out of your local school district, aren’t you shooting yourself in the foot brain-draining your own neighborhood and lowering your property values and enhancing someone else’s proprty values and test scores?