diff --git a/nextjs-app/__tests__/lib/compareChartData.test.ts b/nextjs-app/__tests__/lib/compareChartData.test.ts
index 7c59bc5..8c5b168 100644
--- a/nextjs-app/__tests__/lib/compareChartData.test.ts
+++ b/nextjs-app/__tests__/lib/compareChartData.test.ts
@@ -41,6 +41,30 @@ describe('buildCompareChart', () => {
     }
   });
 
+  it('ignores a no-results school whose only row has a null year', () => {
+    // A school with no performance rows comes back from /api/compare with a
+    // single phantom yearly_data row (LEFT JOIN) where year and every metric
+    // are null. That null year must NOT pollute the axis: Math.trunc(null) is
+    // 0, and filling from year 0 blows past the real years, blanking every
+    // school's line. Regression guard for "add a no-data school → chart empty".
+    const withNoData = {
+      ...THREE_SCHOOLS,
+      '4': school(4, [[null as unknown as number, null]]),
+    };
+    const list = [...SCHOOL_LIST, { urn: 4, school_name: 'School 4' }];
+    const chart = buildCompareChart(withNoData, list, 'rwm_expected_pct');
+
+    // The real years still drive the axis; the phantom year 0 is gone.
+    expect(chart.years).toContain(201819);
+    expect(chart.years).toContain(202425);
+    expect(chart.years).not.toContain(0);
+    // The three real schools still render their lines.
+    for (const urn of [1, 2, 3]) {
+      const ds = chart.schoolDatasets[urn - 1];
+      expect(ds.data.some((v) => v != null)).toBe(true);
+    }
+  });
+
   it('handles float years from the API (202425.0 style)', () => {
     const floaty = {
       '1': school(1, [[201819.0 as number, 80], [202425.0 as number, 85]]),
diff --git a/nextjs-app/lib/compareChartData.ts b/nextjs-app/lib/compareChartData.ts
index c3e783e..03cb559 100644
--- a/nextjs-app/lib/compareChartData.ts
+++ b/nextjs-app/lib/compareChartData.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,17 @@
 
 import type { ComparisonData } from './types';
 
+/**
+ * A yearly row only counts once it carries a real academic year. A school with
+ * no performance data still comes back from /api/compare with a single phantom
+ * row (the dim_school LEFT JOIN) where `year` is null — and Math.trunc(null) is
+ * 0, which would seed the axis at year 0 and, via fillAcademicYears, blow past
+ * every real year and blank all schools' lines. Drop those rows up front.
+ */
+function hasYear(row: { year: number }): boolean {
+  return typeof row.year === 'number' && Number.isFinite(row.year);
+}
+
 /** 201819 → 201920 (academic-year arithmetic on YYYYYY codes). */
 function nextAcademicYear(year: number): number {
   const start = Math.floor(year / 100);
@@ -66,14 +77,19 @@ export function buildCompareChart(
   nationalByYear?: Record<number, number | null | undefined>,
 ): CompareChart {
   const rawYears = schools.flatMap(
-    (s) => comparisonData[String(s.urn)]?.yearly_data.map((d) => Math.trunc(d.year)) ?? [],
+    (s) =>
+      comparisonData[String(s.urn)]?.yearly_data.filter(hasYear).map((d) => Math.trunc(d.year)) ??
+      [],
   );
   const years = fillAcademicYears(rawYears);
 
   const schoolDatasets: CompareChartSeries[] = schools.map((school, schoolIndex) => {
     const rows = comparisonData[String(school.urn)]?.yearly_data ?? [];
     const byYear = new Map<number, Record<string, unknown>>();
-    for (const row of rows) byYear.set(Math.trunc(row.year), row as unknown as Record<string, unknown>);
+    for (const row of rows) {
+      if (!hasYear(row)) continue;
+      byYear.set(Math.trunc(row.year), row as unknown as Record<string, unknown>);
+    }
     return {
       label: school.school_name,
       data: years.map((year) => {