Four local districts earn state’s top grade; Dayton only “F” locally

Springboro grads celebrate their emancipation by throwing their caps upward at the Nutter Center in Fairborn this past May 26. CONTRIBUTED

Springboro grads celebrate their emancipation by throwing their caps upward at the Nutter Center in Fairborn this past May 26. CONTRIBUTED

The biggest change in this year’s state report card was the addition of an overall grade for each school and district.

Four local school districts were among the 28 statewide to earn an “A” on the overall grade — Oakwood, Springboro, Waynesville and Bellbrook. That puts those districts in the top five percent in Ohio under the Ohio Department of Education’s grading system.

RELATED: Controversy surrounds new A-F overall grades

The overall grade is a mix of six different report card categories, most of them tied to state testing. Pure test achievement and year-over-year progress each count for 20 percent of the grade. Making up 15 percent each are graduation rate, early-grade literacy improvement, gap closing between groups of students, and a “prepared for success” high school measure.

Half of the 10 largest school districts in the area earned B’s on the overall grade – Beavercreek, Centerville, Kettering, Northmont and Miamisburg. Among other large districts, Troy and Lebanon got “C” grades overall, while Huber Heights, Xenia and Fairborn received D’s.

YOUR DISTRICT: See multiple letter grades for local schools

Only 14 of Ohio’s 608 school districts got overall grades of “F” — less than three percent of the state.

Dayton Public Schools was the only local district to receive an “F.” That means DPS is now one year from potential state takeover. That takeover would occur if the district earns another overall “F” on the state report card a year from now, marking its third straight year of hitting certain low performance standards.

Trotwood schools were on the verge of immediate state takeover if they had received an “F” on Thursday. But the district earned a “D,” thanks to big improvement in “gap closing,” where they earned a “B.”

Like Trotwood, Warrensville Heights schools near Cleveland earned an overall “D” to avoid state takeover. East Cleveland, which got an “F,” is the only school district in Ohio that faces takeover because of Thursday’s report card. They will join Youngstown and Lorain, who have been in takeover status for years.

LAST YEAR: Educators urge broader look at school quality

JULY STORY: Legislation to change report card stalls out

About the Author