Methodology

Trust comes before coverage.

The School Field Guide separates public evidence, normalized observations, editorial review, and publication.

School identity

California public records establish the directory denominator. Reported URLs remain preserved as provenance; corrected domains are stored separately and require identity evidence.

School facts

Official school pages can support tuition, deadlines, events, programs, and application details. Extraction creates candidates—not facts. Unknown values remain unknown, and conflicts remain visible for review.

Freshness

Date-sensitive facts must identify their admissions cycle. Expired events remain historical and never appear as upcoming. Every published field should retain a source and last-checked date.

What we do not do

We do not invent missing facts, publish private social content, submit applications, or rank schools as “best.” Parent discussions inform which questions matter; official sources certify school facts.