Standard and Poor’s is best known for providing information about Fortune 500 companies to prospective investors, experience that they have now taken to applying to the analysis and rating of the country’s public schools. The Post reports that through a free website, schoolmatters.com, parents can search for high performing school districts, compare school districts with those in and out of the state, identify areas for improvement, and better understand how spending patterns are reflected (or not reflected) in student performance and achievement.

The website, launched yesterday, has received both praise and skepticism from parents and school administrators alike, with early complaints of inaccurate data. The Post quoted Sharon Ackerman, assistant superintendent for instruction in the Loudoun County schools, who noted:

This site could be useful for parents as a starting point to find information about past performance of students in specific schools. However, the data must be accurate.

DCist ran a quick comparison of D.C. schools to those in Maryland and Virginia. While D.C. outspends both neighboring states per student ($12,103 for D.C., $8,692 for Maryland, and $7,496 for Virginia), has fewer students per total staff and pays its teachers more, it lags behind in every all grade 4 and grade 8 reading and math proficiency indicators.

D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams announced in his recent State of the District speech his intention to provide D.C. schools with $26 million this year to address their most pressing needs — though if spending per student numbers serve as any indication, money may not be the thing the city schools need more of.