(MONEY Magazine) – Almost 80% of MONEYsubscribers with school-age kids gave their local schools either an A or a B on a grading scale that ranged down to F in our poll. Still, if you want to check on your system, school consultant Donald Thomas of Salt Lake City suggests: First, ask your district superintendent for the following statistics: attendance rate, dropout rate, standardized test scores, teacher/pupil ratio, per-pupil spending, length of school day, and percentage of graduates attending four- and two-year colleges. Then compare the numbers with statewide averages available from the state department of education. (If your state is among the 28* that are required by law to publish such data, the department may also have district-by-district or school-by-school numbers.) Next, visit a school -- with the principal's permission, of course -- and measure it against these indicators of scholastic excellence documented in the accompanying story: -- Administrators, teachers and parents give academics top priority for all students, not just the gifted. -- The curriculum is rigorous and emphasizes the three Rs from kindergarten through 12th grade. -- Administrators make the teachers keep up their skills. -- Parents participate in before- and after-school enrichment programs. -- Buildings are clean, well equipped and large enough for the number of students they serve. -- The atmosphere is quiet, relaxed and conducive to learning. Rules are consistently enforced. If you conclude that your school system needs improvement, Thomas suggests that you form a committee of like-minded parents and other concerned citizens and present your critique, verbally and in writing, to the school board and administrators. For more information, you can send for these booklets: -- Looking In on Your School (The National PTA, 700 N. Rush St., Chicago, Ill. 60611; $1) -- Your School: How Well Is It Working? (National Committee for Citizens in Education, 10840 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Suite 301, Columbia, Md. 21044; $5.50)

FOOTNOTE: *Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia