Most New York City parents would say that one criterion reigns supreme in their home searches: school district. But brokers aren’t allowed to specifically steer families to neighborhoods with good schools, at the risk of violating the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits descriptive language like “bachelor pad” or “great for families” in advertising materials. Some parents say that requirement leaves them in the dark about which school districts to aim for.
That’s where the new website SchoolFisher.com comes in.
The site — which aims to help parents find great schools in affordable neighborhoods — was founded by Eric Grannis, a longtime charter school proponent and husband of Eva Moskowitz, the controversial head of Success Charter Network. SchoolFisher users enter whether they’re looking to rent or to buy and how much they’re looking to spend. Then, the site determines which neighborhoods best meet their budget, and gives them a list of highly rated neighborhood and charter schools in those areas.
SchoolFisher has culled its list down to 200 top city public schools, so all of the academic institutions on the site are upper-tier schools. Each one is assigned a grade — few fall below a B+ — to help parents differentiate between schools’ academic performance.