The Ohio Department Of Education And Workforce released their annual report cards for each district across the state. The report cards highlight the achievements and areas that need improvement for the more than 600 districts and schools across the state. 

The report cards use star-based scores, on a scale of one to five, instead of letter grades from A to F. 

A three-star rating meets state standards, four and five star ratings significantly exceed them. A one or two star rating means the district “needs significant support to meet state standards.”

Key Takeaways:

• This year, nearly 90% of districts earned overall ratings of three stars or higher​

• Overall graduation rates are the highest they’ve been in more than a decade with nearly 88% of students in 2023 graduating within four years

• The report cards also show an improvement in student attendance, with chronic absenteeism rates declining a little more than one percentage point from the year before

• According to the Department of Education and Workforce, about one in four students are chronically absent in Ohio

• While the overall English language proficiency numbers stayed the same, there was improvement in elementary school students climbing in third grade (2.2%), fourth grade (5.2%) and fifth grade (3.1%)

“Our teachers continue to make great strides in building reading skills for students, and we believe we have the opportunity to continue improving in this area once all schools in Ohio become fully aligned with the Science of Reading,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said in a press release Friday. “We know the Science of Reading works because we know now exactly how the brain learns to read. This is especially important for our young children, because the earlier they are able to master reading, the better positioned they will be for success in every subject throughout their education.”

In regard to some of the state’s biggest schools, Cleveland schools’ jumped from 2.5 stars to three stars. This is the first time the district has met the standard in its history.

Cincinnati Public Schools received 2.5 stars which is up from two stars in 2023. 

Columbus City Schools received the same overall score as last year, two out of five stars.

“The vast majority of schools and districts met or exceed that, and I think that’s a good thing but again, we want to we want to see that continue to improve,” said Dr. Chris Woolard, chief integration officer for the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. “There's a lot of room to grow and we're not where we need to be. We want to see those math numbers improve. We know that we look at subgroups and in particular groups of students that there are gaps that exist, and continue to exist in our most vulnerable students. And so, again, we want to recognize where there's improvement and there good things happening, but plenty more of room to improve.”

Woolard said the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce is happy with the data, but wants to make sure the state’s school districts are continuing to grow and build on the state’s expectations in the future.

If you want to learn more about your specific school district’s rating you can visit here.