Test scores boost housing prices, reduce foreclosures

When did you last check the test scores in your school district? Good schools are a benchmark of desirable neighborhoods, and high-rated school districts have fewer foreclosures than low-rated districts.

The payoff? Higher home values. Purchasing property in a high-testing school district means sustained high property values and greater resale value down the line.

This pricing difference is especially marked in metropolitan areas. Nationwide, homes located in urban public school districts with the highest test scores sell on average for two times as much as those homes located in school districts with the lowest test scores — a $205,000 increase per home.