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Yahoo's unveiled a new search tool that may prove extremely valuable to parents. Created in conjunction with GreatSchools.net, the service allows users to search for elementary, middle, and high schools within a particular city or zip code. The tool then provides fairly detailed reports on the schools it finds.

The free service (which doesn't seem to have a proper name beyond Schools Search) is available here. As Search Engine Land's Chris Sherman points out, "Results are plotted on a map . . . . You can also plot nearby grocery stores, parks, restaurants and gas stations on the map."

Of course, this tool wouldn't be very helpful if it didn't work. But it does - I haven't been able to input any zip code for which it didn't show me the school I had in mind (often along with many others).

Families that are facing, or are in the process of, a move should definitely check it out. If the inhabitants of the WebProNews newsroom are any sort of representative sample ), 50% of children will have to change schools at some point. Yahoo's tool will make it much easier for their parents to find the best place to send them.

Anyone looking at the entry for South Oldham High School, for example, would find that it has a student/teacher ratio of 17 to 1. And SOHS's students do comparatively well on the Kentucky Core Content Tests. A parent's review, however, indicates that "some things are just too ridiculous," including the dress code, which is apparently "too harsh." While that's just one person's opinion, it's good to know, right?

Yahoo's new service is a valuable research tool. It's also a good way to check up on the schools that you've attended in the past.

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Doug is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest eBusiness news.