Overview:
The latest round of Ohio School Report Cards is out. Here's how traditional public, community and charter schools did. We also have information on career technical programs and the area's dropout recovery programs.
ONTARIO — Your child likely hasn’t gotten a grade card yet this fall — but their school has.
Every fall, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce releases its Ohio School Report Cards for public schools, including traditional and community schools, career tech districts and dropout recovery programs.
ODEW released its report cards for the 2024-2025 school year on Monday.
All nine of Richland County’s traditional public school districts received at least a 3-star rating, meaning they met or exceeded state standards. All four career tech districts serving those schools earned top marks.
Ontario Local Schools received an overall rating of 4 stars, which the department defines as exceeding state standards.
“Ontario Local Schools is proud to one again demonstrate outstanding academic achievement while being good stewards of taxpayer resources,” Supt. Keith Strickler said.
Traditional, community and career tech schools are rated on six components with a one- to five-star scale with half-star increments.
One star means a district needs significant support to meet state standards. Three stars means a district has met expectations. Five stars means a district has significantly exceeded expectations.
What each component means
Achievement is a measure of how well students performed on state tests.
Progress is a measure of the growth students are making based on their past performance.
Gap Closing is a measure of the reduction in educational gaps among students of different races, ones with special needs and those from economically disadvantaged families.
Graduation is a measure of the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate and the five-year adjusted cohort graduation rate.
Early Literacy is a measure of reading improvement and proficiency for students in kindergarten through third grade.
College, Career, Workforce, and Military Readiness is a measure of how prepared Ohio’s students are for future opportunities, whether training in a technical field or preparing for work or college.
How Ontario’s scores broke down
Ontario’s overall district rating for the 2024-2025 broke down as follows:
- Achievement: 4 stars
- Progress: 3 stars
- Gap Closing: 5 stars
- Graduation: 5 stars
- Early Literacy: 3 stars
- College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness: 2 stars
Strickler highlighted the district’s high performance index scores, included top performance in the area for gifted students, and graduation rate. He also noted the district’s operating expenses average out to $10,578 annually per pupil, compared to a statewide average of $12,723.
“These results showcase the excellence, efficiency, culture, and dedication that defines Ontario Local Schools,” Strickler said.
At the building level, Stingel Elementary received 4.5 stars. Ontario Middle and High School received four stars.
This year’s report cards include new post-secondary readiness metric
This is the first year report cards have a rating for the College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness (CCWMR) component. Previous versions of the report card included data, but not a rating.
The Ohio Education Association, a group representing teachers and school staff across the state, commended the use of CCWMR data, but said the report card is still too reliant on standardized testing data.
“For too long, these state report cards have been overly reliant on standardized test scores to determine ratings, ignoring the fact that these scores are a snapshot in time of a few stressful days in a student’s life rather than a measure of their ability or mastery,” OEA President Jeff Wensing said.
“Including CCWMR measures in the school ratings helps Ohioans get a more accurate view of the quality education public schools provide.”
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce also acknowledges the grade card has its limitations.
“Everyone has a role in the success of Ohio schools, and community members are encouraged to learn more about what’s happening in their local schools,” an ODEW press release stated.
“Talking with parents and neighbors, browsing school and district websites, and connecting with educators are among the ways to gain a complete understanding of students’ educational experiences.”