Investors interested in Schools stocks are likely familiar with American Public Education (APEI Quick QuoteAPEI - 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 proven Zacks Rank emphasizes companies with positive estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight stocks with specific traits.

Right now, American Public Education is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Bright Horizons Family Solutions has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This means that APEI's earnings estimate revision activity has been more impressive, so investors should feel comfortable with its improving analyst outlook. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.

Value investors also tend to look at a number of traditional, tried-and-true figures to help them find stocks that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.

Our Value category grades stocks based on a number of key metrics, including the tried-and-true P/E ratio, the P/S ratio, earnings yield, and cash flow per share, as well as a variety of other fundamentals that value investors frequently use.

APEI currently has a forward P/E ratio of 21.52, while BFAM has a forward P/E of 36.42. We also note that APEI has a PEG ratio of 1.43. This figure is similar to the commonly-used P/E ratio, with the PEG ratio also factoring in a company's expected earnings growth rate. BFAM currently has a PEG ratio of 3.77.

Another notable valuation metric for APEI is its P/B ratio of 0.95. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, BFAM has a P/B of 5.37.

These are just a few of the metrics contributing to APEI's Value grade of B and BFAM's Value grade of D.

APEI is currently sporting an improving earnings outlook, which makes it stick out in our Zacks Rank model. And, based on the above valuation metrics, we feel that APEI is likely the superior value option right now.