Investors interested in stocks from the Schools sector have probably already heard of Strategic Education (STRA Quick QuoteSTRA - Free Report) and Bright Horizons Family Solutions (BFAM Quick QuoteBFAM - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We'll need to take a closer look.

The best way to find great value stocks is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.

Strategic Education and Bright Horizons Family Solutions are sporting Zacks Ranks of #2 (Buy) and #3 (Hold), respectively, right now. This means that STRA's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is just one piece of the puzzle for value investors.

Value investors are also interested in a number of tried-and-true valuation metrics that help show when a company is undervalued at its current share price levels.

The Value category of the Style Scores system identifies undervalued companies by looking at a number of key metrics. These include the long-favored P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that help us determine a company's fair value.

STRA currently has a forward P/E ratio of 26.91, while BFAM has a forward P/E of 33.18. We also note that STRA has a PEG ratio of 1.30. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. BFAM currently has a PEG ratio of 3.44.

Another notable valuation metric for STRA is its P/B ratio of 1.40. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock's market value versus its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, BFAM has a P/B of 4.50.

Based on these metrics and many more, STRA holds a Value grade of B, while BFAM has a Value grade of D.

STRA sticks out from BFAM in both our Zacks Rank and Style Scores models, so value investors will likely feel that STRA is the better option right now.