S.S.
Short answer is the state's ratings. That's all most people have to go by when they say a school is "top rated."
When we finally started looking for a bigger house, we really wanted to stay in Grapevine. Grapevine/Colleyville is a highly regarded school system and was one of the reasons we wanted to live there in the first place. There are some homes in Grapevine that feed to the Carroll (or Southlake) school district so we looked at those houses too knowing that Carroll is a highly ranked school district as well.
After talking to several people who lived in a mid to upper class neighborhood in Grapevine that attend Southlake schools, we chose to stay away from the Carroll school district because we found that there seems to be a lot of pressure to "fit in" FINANCIALLY. We didn't want our kids ridiculed if they weren't wearing the right clothes are carrying the correct handbag and a lot of people we spoke to said that's exactly what their kids began experiencing as soon as they started going to school there. I'm sure that's not true for everyone, so mamas who have kids who go to Southlake schools, please don't start PMing me saying that I'm wrong 'cause I'm going by what I was told from several people that I met personally who experienced this phenomenon. I mean, even the costs for their extracurricular activities were outrageous.
Now, if that's how you live and money is no object, the schools are supposed to be really good, once again, based on state standardized testing and measurements. I personally think their high ranking is probably because the parents have the means to pay for tutors and whatever extra things are needed to help their kids succeed in and outside of the classroom. Given the community's average household income, you know the kids come from parents who are probably better educated, more ambitious, or at least more successful financially than most. I don't think there is anything wrong with that, and of course, I'm sure the faculty have something to do with the kids' success in school as well.
In my opinion, however, to be sure it's really the school that's fostering the student's success, not just their circumstances, I think if you find a "blue ribbon" rated school in a "regular" neighborhood, THAT is a school worth looking into. That's when you know it's the teachers and the administration that are making the difference. Not just the parent's influence and/or their big pocket books.