LUCAS — Superintendent Brad Herman knows academic success is about more than what happens in the classroom.
“We are very proud of our staff and their continued efforts to help our students succeed, and we are equally proud of our families and community for their commitment to supporting our students as they learn and grow,” Herman said in light of Lucas Local Schools’ most recent school report card.
Every year, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce releases its school report cards, which rate public schools and districts on a one-to-five star scale.
Three stars means a district has met expectations. Five stars means a district has significantly exceeded expectations.
Lucas Local Schools kept its four star rating, boosted by gains in early literacy.
- Achievement: 4 stars
- Progress: 2 stars
- Gap Closing: 5 stars
- Graduation: 4 stars
- Early Literacy: 4 stars
- College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness: 4 stars
Lucas Elementary earned the highest building rating of 4.5 stars, while the high school earned 4 stars. Lucas Heritage Middle School earned 2.5 stars.
Herman said the district’s 5 in gap closing reflects its commitment to meeting the needs of a wide array of learners. He also noted the district exceeds state expectations in student achievement and early literacy.
What do school report card components mean?
Achievement is a measure of how well students in grades 3 through 12 performed on state tests.
Progress measures how much growth students are making, based on state test results from prior years. For the 2025-2026 report cards, ratings are based on three consecutive years of data.
Gap Closing measures how well schools close achievement gaps for students of different races, students with disabilities and students from economically disadvantaged families. The gap closing metric is also impacted by chronic absenteeism rates and how well the district serves gifted students.
Graduation is determined by a high school’s four-year graduation rate (60 percent of the score) and its five-year graduation rate (40 percent of the score).
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, including entering the workforce, enlisting in the military or pursuing additional education. Districts get points for students who do things like pass the ACT or SAT, earn an honors diploma, complete college courses or earn industry recognized credentials.
Herman said one area the district is working to improve is in the “progress” metric, which assesses how much growth students make over the course of an academic year.
“We know our students are achieving, and our focus is on ensuring that we see consistent academic growth across every grade level,” Herman said.
“Our staff will continue to examine student data, identify areas for additional support, and adjust instruction to help every student make steady progress.”
Herman said the district’s ultimate goal extends far beyond what a grade card can measure, but high scores in the graduation and postsecondary metrics paint an encouraging picture of students’ prospects after high school.
“We want every student to graduate from high school and become productive and contributing members of our community,” he said.
What are Ohio School Report Cards?
Ohio School Report Cards measure six major components: achievement, progress, gap closing, graduation, early literacy and postsecondary readiness.
Achievement and progress each make up one-fourth of a district’s overall score, while the other components each make up 12.5 percent.
School report cards also offer information on school district enrollment, teacher salaries and experience and even school finance.
Lucas Local Schools had an enrollment of 393 students last year and a 96.9 percent graduation rate, according to the report card.
Its teachers have an average of 15 years’ experience and earn an average salary of $60,072.
Lucas Local Schools also experienced a 4.6 percentage point drop in chronic absenteeism, which was 9.1 percent last year. Ohio’s target for schools is 14.5 percent or less.
