EMERYVILLE, Calif., July 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- ZipRealty, Inc. (http://www.ziprealty.com) (NASDAQ: ZIPR), a leading online residential real estate brokerage and provider of technology and marketing solutions, today released its second annual ranking of the 10 Best Places for Families to Live: Top School Districts with the Most Affordable Housing. The list was compiled by analyzing the highest-rated public school districts in 23 metros nationwide and the median price per square foot for real estate in that district. To be considered, at least 10 home sales must have closed in that region's school district in 2013. Minneapolis, Austin and Portland made the list for the second consecutive year.

"This annual study is part of our ongoing effort to use ZipRealty's technology and data capabilities to provide home buyers with the most relevant and accurate neighborhood information," said Lanny Baker, ZipRealty's CEO. "In particular, the School Score shown within our mobile apps and on our website helps families decide which school districts and neighborhoods are best for them."

ZipRealty's School Score ratings measure the performance of each school district, including elementary, middle and high schools, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest. ZipRealty calculates the School Score based on test-score data. Cross-referencing those School Scores with housing information such as per square foot sales prices gives consumers a window into the most affordable areas with the strongest local education systems.

The 10 Best Places for Families to Live, based on the quality of the local school district and median price per square foot, are:



                        METRO AREA                                SCHOOL DISTRICT SCHOOL SCORE     PRICE/SQ. FT.
                        ----------                                --------------- ------------     -------------

    Minneapolis                    Delano Public School District                               9.2               $101

    Charlotte                      Fort Mill School District                                   9.1               $102

    Dallas                         Lovejoy Independent School District                         9.1               $114

    Chicago                        St. Charles C.U.S.D. 303                                    9.0               $122

    Boston                         Harvard Public Schools                                      9.1               $179

    Portland                       Lake Oswego School District 7J                              9.8               $192

    NYC/Long Island                Nanuet Union Free School District                           9.0               $199

    Austin                         Eanes Independent School District                           9.1               $237

    Orange County, Calif.          Los Alamitos Unified School District                        9.2               $321

    Seattle                        Mercer Island School District 400                           9.1               $344

Delano, Minn. Takes Top Honors
"There has always been a tradition of excellence in our public school system, which has been cultivated by a very supportive community," said Delano Public Schools Superintendent Matthew Schoen. "And we are proud of that tradition, and are honored to receive this recognition."

In Delano, families can buy a bigger home that meets their needs, and do not have to live in a community where they have to compromise on their child's education, Mr. Schoen noted. "If you stopped a young couple in downtown Delano and asked them why they moved here, you would find that 99% of the couples would say they moved here for the school district."

Search for Homes by School District
 In an effort to further assist families in finding the right home, ZipRealty also recently improved its mobile experience. "Now home buyers can search for homes on the map search section of ZipRealty's iOs and Android apps," said Jamie Wilson, Senior Vice President of Technology for ZipRealty. "We've greatly improved our mobile experience for consumers looking for homes within specific school district boundaries."

ZipRealty's iOS and Android apps give users:


    --  The ability to get more details about individual elementary, middle and
        high schools, including addresses, student/teacher ratios, test scores
        and other historical data.
    --  Prominent pop-up viewing of School Scores by specific boundaries,
        including elementary, middle, high schools and school districts.

A similar experience exists on ZipRealty's website, where consumers can easily find all of the information on home listings, prices and schools, just by typing in the name of a school district, noted Mr. Wilson.

www.ziprealty.com

About ZipRealty, Inc.
ZipRealty is a leading national real estate brokerage and provider of proprietary technology and comprehensive online marketing tools for the residential real estate brokerage industry. For home buyers and sellers who increasingly want control, choice and a seamless, customized service, ZipRealty offers Internet-enabled, state-of-the-art technology and complete access to accurate, timely information via its website and mobile applications, which real estate professionals can combine with their own local knowledge and personal expertise to offer an exceptional start-to-finish client experience. For real estate professionals who seek more productive ways to conduct business, ZipRealty provides technology and online marketing tools to enhance their online sales channel, including lead generation, conversion and service of their clients. ZipRealty's technology and online marketing products serve its full-service, owned-and-operated residential real estate brokerage business in 19 markets nationwide, as well as its Powered by Zip network of leading third-party local brokerages in 21 markets.

Media Contact: Stacey Corso
510.735.2667
scorso@ziprealty.com

SOURCE ZipRealty, Inc.