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Understanding the GreatSchools Widget on Listing Detail Pages

Learn how the GreatSchools widget determines which schools appear on your listing pages, why assigned or in-district schools may not always display, and what limitations apply to this third-party integration.

Why This Feature Matters

Many buyers prioritize school information when evaluating a property. Sierra integrates a third-party GreatSchools widget on Listing Detail Pages (LDPs) to provide nearby school information automatically.

Occasionally, clients may notice that:

  • Assigned or zoned schools do not appear
  • The order of schools seems unexpected
  • Results differ slightly from what appears on GreatSchools.com, Zillow, or Redfin

This article explains how the widget works and why those differences occur.

Table of Contents 

  1. How to Determine Which Schools Appear

  2. Why Assigned or Zoned Schools May Not Appear

  3. Why Results May Differ

  4. What Sierra Can and Cannot Control

  5. Data Accuracy and MLS Information

  6. Best Practices

  7. FAQs

How the GreatSchools Widget Determines Which Schools Appear

The GreatSchools widget displays schools based on geolocation and distance, not district assignment.

Specifically:

  • The widget uses the property’s latitude and longitude (Note: When this isn't available, we also have code where nearby schools matching the address are displayed)
  • It pulls schools located within a 5-mile radius
  • Schools are prioritized by the GreatSchools rating
  • Higher-rated schools appear first
  • District zoning or assigned-school boundaries are not used in the selection logic

Because of this, the visible list may not always match:

  • Assigned or in-district schools
  • Local district boundary maps
  • The order seen on other platforms

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Why Assigned or Zoned Schools May Not Appear

The GreatSchools widget used in this integration does not surface assigned schools.

For example:

  • A school that is geographically closer may appear lower in the list if it has a lower rating.
  • A school within the same district may not appear if it falls outside the 5-mile radius.
  • A school rated “Average” may be shown below schools rated “Above Average,” even if it is the assigned school for that property.

This behavior is based on the widget’s internal ranking logic and not on MLS data accuracy.

Why Results May Differ from GreatSchools.com, Zillow, or Redfin

You may notice that the list of schools displayed on your Sierra listing page differs slightly from what appears on:

  • GreatSchools.com
  • Zillow
  • Redfin
  • Other real estate platforms

This can occur because:

  • Different platforms may use different GreatSchools product tiers
  • Display logic may vary slightly by platform
  • Some platforms may incorporate additional district-level data
  • Ranking and filtering criteria may differ

The Sierra integration reflects the location-based results returned by the version of the GreatSchools widget available for this implementation.

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What Sierra Can and Cannot Control

Sierra does not control:

  • Which schools appear
  • The number of schools displayed
  • The order in which schools are shown
  • How schools are categorized
  • Whether assigned schools are included
  • Rating methodology

The widget operates based on the capabilities and limitations of the third-party integration tier available.

Data Accuracy and MLS Information

If assigned schools are not appearing, this does not indicate:

  • Missing MLS data
  • Incorrect property geolocation
  • An issue with your listing
  • Incomplete integration

The results are generated entirely from GreatSchools’ distance-based logic tied to the property’s geolocation.

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Best Practices When Discussing Schools with Buyers

Because school zoning and district boundaries can change:

  • Encourage buyers to verify school assignments directly with the local school district
  • Avoid relying solely on automated widgets for official zoning confirmation
  • Consider adding additional context in property descriptions if the school assignment is a key selling point

FAQs

  • Why isn’t the assigned high school showing?
    The widget displays schools within a 5-mile radius and prioritizes them by rating, not assignment.

  • Can Sierra change the order of schools?
    No. The widget display order is controlled by GreatSchools.

  • Can we force specific schools to appear?
    No. The widget cannot be manually customized.

  • Is this an MLS data issue?
    No. The widget is powered by GreatSchools geolocation data, not MLS assignment data.

  • Can Sierra upgrade the widget to include assigned schools?
    At this time, the integration reflects the available GreatSchools product tier and cannot be customized.

  • Are school ratings provided by Sierra?
    No. Ratings are provided directly by GreatSchools.

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