Evaluating the quality of education your child is destined to receive is no easy task. Parents often are drawn to standardized test scores as a comparison measure of a school's effectiveness. But most educators agree that test scores are skewed by so many variables unrelated to quality of education or skills of a teacher that they may, in fact, paint an untrue picture.According to noted author Alfie Kohn, " ... test scores closely parallel the income and educational level of the families who send their kids to a particular school, ... measure the temporary retention of low-level skills and soon-to-be forgotten facts, ... are often multiple-choice, which means that students don't have the chance to generate answers or explain their thinking, ... (and) are timed, which means that speed matters more than careful reasoned thinking."
Some schools are known to discourage test-taking by children with limited English proficiency, thereby artificially inflating their scores in comparison with schools that encourage all students to benefit from the test-taking experience.
Although the link to test score data also appears below, the research links may provide the best first stop in evaluating and comparing schools. 
Before selecting or eliminating a particular school, check into class size and teaching philosophies. Visit the school, speak with members of the faculty and observe the children. Ask about the level of parental involvement.