Accessibility statement.

1. Our commitment

We want every reader to be able to use this site, regardless of ability or assistive technology. Accessibility is treated as an ongoing obligation of the publisher rather than a one-time project, and it is considered when new pages and tools are built.

This statement is provided in good faith and describes our current effort and known limitations. It is not a certification, an audit result, or a legal representation of conformance.

2. Standard we work toward

We aim to align this site with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at Level AA, which is the standard commonly referenced under the Americans with Disabilities Act for public-facing websites. We describe our status as partially conformant, meaning most of the site meets the standard and some content may not yet.

3. Measures in place

Accessibility practices currently applied across the site include:

• Semantic HTML structure with a single descriptive heading hierarchy on every page.
• Descriptive alternative text on meaningful imagery, and decorative imagery marked so screen readers skip it.
• Keyboard operability for navigation, menus, the schools comparison table, and the inquiry form, with visible focus styles.
• Labelled form controls, programmatically associated field labels, and status messages announced to assistive technology.
• Text and interface colors chosen for contrast against the site's ivory and charcoal palette, with information never conveyed by color alone.
• Responsive layout that reflows and remains usable at increased zoom and on small screens.
• Data presented in real tables with column headers rather than images of tables, plus a downloadable CSV alternative for the schools data.
• Accessible names on links, buttons, dialogs, and the cookie consent banner, with descriptive link text rather than generic wording.

4. Known limitations

We are candid about areas that may not yet fully meet the standard, and we are working to improve them:

• The interactive schools map is a visual diagram; its full content is duplicated in the sortable table, the citations panel, and the CSV export, which are the accessible equivalents.
• Embedded third-party content, such as a map provided by another company, is outside our control and may not fully conform.
• Outbound links to third-party websites lead to content whose accessibility we cannot guarantee.
• Subtle motion is used on scroll; it is decorative only, and the site respects the operating-system reduced-motion preference where the browser reports it.

5. Reporting a barrier

If you encounter a barrier, please tell us through the private inquiry form, which is the only contact channel offered on this site. Include the page address, a description of the problem, and the browser and assistive technology you were using, if you can.

We aim to acknowledge accessibility reports within five business days and to remedy confirmed barriers as quickly as is practicable. If content cannot be made accessible immediately, we will work with you to provide the information in an alternative format at no cost.

6. Assessment and review

The site is evaluated through a combination of automated accessibility checks run against every route in our build pipeline, keyboard-only walkthroughs, and manual review during content updates. This statement is reviewed whenever significant new functionality is published.