A better read on schools helps home shoppers choose with confidence

For many home shoppers, choosing where to live starts with a simple question: what are the schools like?

That’s why Zillow continues to expand the school information available directly on listings, helping buyers and renters make more informed decisions about where their children will learn and grow. 

Access to information like this plays a critical role in creating a fair, open and accessible housing market for everyone, which has been Zillow’s aim since its founding 20 years ago.

Bringing more school data into the home search

Whether someone is buying their first home, relocating for work or searching for a rental that fits their lifestyle, having detailed, easy-to-access information about schools helps reduce uncertainty and save time. According to Zillow’s Consumer Housing Trends Report, 40% of buyers say being in a preferred school district is very or extremely important.

For more than a decade, Zillow’s home detail pages have included important information about nearby schools. Now Zillow is rolling out a more robust set of school details designed to make it easier for buyers and renters to evaluate school options as part of the home search.

For each listing, shoppers can see:

• Assigned or nearby schools, including elementary, middle and high school options.
• Distance from the home — an important detail, as nearly 2 in 5 prospective buyers say it’s very or extremely important that their kids can walk to school.
• GreatSchools ratings, along with deeper sub-ratings like test scores and college readiness to give shoppers a more complete picture of school quality and environment.
• Additional details like student–teacher ratios, enrollment and teacher certification rates.

This enhancement makes it easier for shoppers to quickly understand whether a home fits their needs without having to piece together information from multiple sources. Instead of relying on a single score, shoppers can see a more complete picture of each school, helping them make more confident, informed decisions about where to live.

Helping people move forward with confidence

Home shopping is one of the biggest financial decisions most people will make. Zillow tools are designed to make that process clearer at every step.

Zillow’s new AI mode makes it easier than ever to surface these and other insights. Shoppers can ask natural language questions like “show me listings within my preferred school district,” and with AI Mode can receive guidance and take real steps such as scheduling tours or connecting with a local agent.

In addition to information like school data that helps shoppers identify the right location, tools like Zillow Home Loans’ BuyAbility^SM help buyers understand what they can afford based on current rates and their financial profile. For those who may need additional support, information about local down payment assistance programs is available directly on Zillow listings.

By continuing to invest in richer data and better experiences, Zillow is working to give every shopper a more complete picture and make decisions with greater clarity.