Information systems can play a vital role in supporting the planning and management of development programs and, as such, they are fundamental to improving people's health, education, training, and enhancing the transparency of decisions and actions taken by public and private agencies in these and other domains. This paper examines how information systems in general, and geographic information systems (GIS) in particular, can contribute to an understanding of local educational contexts and needs through the provision of information tools that bridge national-level goals and policy to local-level action and outcomes. First, utilising the frameworks from global initiatives such as "Education for All" and "A Framework for Action," direction is provided as to what types of data are required to evaluate education systems and education quality, especially given the absence of detailed local-level data. Second, the relationship between neighbourhood context and the quality of education is assessed. Third, the available educational and contextual information for a case study in the urban district of Independencia, Peru is described. Utilising information available at the local level and general international frameworks, a method is outlined for the analysis of education quality and neighbourhood well-being and is applied to the case of Independencia, Peru.