Highland County districts, schools receive state's annual report cards

The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce announced the Ohio School Report Cards for the 2024-25 school year Monday, Sept. 15, with Highland County districts and individual schools receiving star ratings based on their achievements for the most recent academic year.

According to the Ohio DEW, “Districts and schools receive overall ratings of 1-5 stars in half-star increments. This year, more than 90 percent of districts earned overall ratings of three stars or higher , meaning they met or exceeded state expectations for performance. Each district and school’s overall rating is derived from their star ratings in six components: Achievement; Progress; Gap Closing; Early Literacy; Graduation; and College, Career, Workforce, and Military Readiness.”  This is the first year for Military Readiness to count toward the overall ratings.

Five-star ratings mean a district or school has “significantly exceeded” state standards; four-star ratings “exceed” standards; three-star ratings “meet” standards; two-star ratings mean the district or school “needs support to meet standards;” and one-star ratings mean the district or school “needs significant support to meet state standards.”

As a whole, Fairfield Local Schools led the way with four and a half stars. Lynchburg-Clay Local Schools earned four stars. Bright Local Schools, Greenfield Exempted Village Schools and Hillsboro City Schools all earned a 3.5-star overall rating. 

For individual schools, ratings included:

— Five stars: Hillsboro Intermediate School.

— Four and a half stars: Fairfield High School; Greenfield Middle School; Lynchburg-Clay Elementary.

— Four stars: Fairfield Elementary; Fairfield Middle School; Greenfield Elementary; Hillsboro Primary School.

— Three and a half stars:; Hillsboro High School; Lynchburg-Clay High School; Lynchburg-Clay Middle School; McClain High School; Whiteoak High School; Whiteoak Junior High School.

— Three stars: Bright Elementary; Buckskin Elementary; Hillsboro Early Childhood Center; Hillsboro Middle School; Rainsboro Elementary.

Below is a look at how Highland County districts and schools ranked in the different components graded in this year’s report cards.

• The Achievement “component evaluates whether student performance on state tests meets established thresholds and how well students perform overall,” according to the DEW.

The Fairfield, Hillsboro and Lynchburg-Clay districts each earned four stars. Bright Local and Greenfield both received three.

School grades included:

— Four stars: Bright Elementary; Fairfield Elementary; Fairfield High School; Fairfield Middle School; Hillsboro Intermediate School; Lynchburg-Clay Elementary.

— Three stars: Buckskin Elementary; Greenfield Elementary; Greenfield Middle School; Hillsboro High School; Hillsboro Middle School; Hillsboro Primary School; Lynchburg-Clay High School; Lynchburg-Clay Middle School; McClain High School; Rainsboro Elementary; Whiteoak High School; Whiteoak Junior High School.

Included in Achievement is the Performance Index, which “measures the test results of every student, not just those who score proficient or higher.”

Fairfield achieved 92.2 points out of a possible 109.8 for an 83.9% performance index score. Hillsboro scored 90.2 points, for an 82.1%; Lynchburg-Clay met 89.8, for an 81.8%; Bright Local met 86.7, for a 78.9%; and Greenfield met 83.8, for a 76.3%.

• The Progress Component “measures the amount of growth made by groups of students compared to students like them across the state,” the ODEW says. “The overall value-added composite combines growth across all subjects and grades at the school or district for the past three years.”

Fairfield achieved four stars as a district. Greenfield, Hillsboro and Lynchburg-Clay were all given two stars. Bright Local received one star.

For individual schools, ratings included:

— Five stars: Greenfield Elementary; Hillsboro Intermediate School.

— Four stars: Fairfield Middle School; Greenfield Middle School; Lynchburg-Clay Elementary.

— Three stars: Buckskin Elementary; Fairfield Elementary; Fairfield High School; Rainsboro Elementary.

— Two stars: Hillsboro High School; Hillsboro Middle School; Lynchburg-Clay Middle School; Whiteoak Junior High School.

— One star: Bright Elementary; Lynchburg-Clay High School; McClain High School; Whiteoak High School.

• The Gap Closing component “shows how well schools are meeting the performance expectations for our students in English language arts, math and graduation,” according to the ODEW. “It also measures how schools are doing in supporting English learners to increase language proficiency, reducing chronic absenteeism for all students and identifying gifted students and providing gifted services.”

Bright Local, Greenfield and Hillsboro all earned five stars as a district. Fairfield and Lynchburg-Clay were both given four stars. 

Individual school scores included:

— Five stars: Greenfield Middle School; Hillsboro Intermediate School; Hillsboro Primary School; Lynchburg-Clay Elementary; Lynchburg-Clay High School; Whiteoak Junior High School.

— Four stars: Fairfield Elementary; Fairfield High School; Greenfield Elementary; Hillsboro Early Childhood Center; Hillsboro High School; Lynchburg-Clay Middle School; McClain High School; Whiteoak High School.

— Three stars: Bright Elementary; Fairfield Middle School; Hillsboro Middle School; ;.

— Two stars: Buckskin Elementary; Rainsboro Elementary.

The component includes Annual Performance Goals, which “are established in six areas, and the performance of specific student subgroups are measured against the annual or long-term goals for each area. Goals are established for English Language Arts academic achievement and growth, Math academic achievement and growth, graduation, English learner language proficiency, chronic absenteeism, and gifted performance.”

Bright Local scored 28 of 41, for 68.3%, and their testing participation rate was 100%. Hillsboro scored 31 points out of a possible 48 for a 64.6% in annual performance goals, with a testing participation rate of 100%. Greenfield scored 29 out of 46, for a 63%, and their testing participation rate was 100%. Lynchburg-Clay scored 24 out of 42, for a 57.1%, with 100% testing participation. Fairfield scored 19 out of 38, for a 50%, with a 100% testing participation rate. 

Chronic absenteeism, “defined as missing at least 10% of instructional time for any reason – excused or unexcused,” was also gauged. The annual performance goal for the 2024-2025 school year is 16.4%, according to the ODEW.

The percentages of students chronically absent in area districts included: Bright Local, 11.9%, Lynchburg-Clay, 14.3%; Fairfield, 14.9%; Greenfield, 16%; and Hillsboro, 28%.

According to the Department of Education and Workforce, “The Gifted Students indicator measures whether opportunity and performance expectations are being met for gifted students. [It] includes three elements: Gifted Performance Index, Gifted Progress, and Gifted Identification and Service.”

The goal for the five districts was a 97.5% Gifted Performance Index, which none of them met (Hillsboro, 96.4%; Lynchburg-Clay, 95.5%; Bright Local, 95%; Fairfield, 93.7%; Greenfield, 93.6%). The Gifted Progress goal was three stars, which was met by all five schools. Three schools exceeded their Gifted Identification and Service goal of 80%, with Greenfield receiving a 90.8%, Hillsboro earning a 90.7% and Bright Local getting an 81.9%. Other scores were Fairfield, 78.3%, and Lynchburg-Clay, 68.3%.

• Early Literacy “is a measure of reading improvement and proficiency for students in kindergarten through third grade.”

For districts with only one elementary school, Lynchburg-Clay led the way with four stars, while Fairfield earned three stars and Bright Local was awarded two.

Hillsboro received three stars overall. Hillsboro Primary School also earned three stars, while Hillsboro Early Childhood Center was given one star.

The Greenfield district was given two stars, and all three of its elementary schools — Buckskin Elementary, Greenfield Elementary and Rainsboro Elementary — also received two stars.

For the Early Literacy Component, which “examines the effectiveness of the reading and literacy supports provided to children in kindergarten through third grade,” the Lynchburg-Clay district earned an 86%; Hillsboro received a 74.3%, Fairfield received a 69.5%; Bright Local had a 65.9%; and the Greenfield district averaged a 64.2%.

• Graduation “is a measure of the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate and the five-year adjusted cohort graduation rate.”

Bright Local, Fairfield, Hillsboro and Greenfield each scored five stars. Lynchburg-Clay earned four stars.

For the Graduation Component Rating, which “is assigned based on the weighted graduation rate [that] combines the four- and five-year graduation rates into a single rate,” Bright Local had a perfect 100%; Fairfield received a 98.4%; Greenfield earned a 98.1%; Hillsboro received a 97.5%; and Lynchburg-Clay earned a 95.8%.

• Also measured is the College, Career, Workforce, and Military Readiness Component, which gauges “how well-prepared Ohio's students are for all future opportunities, whether training in a technical field or preparing for work or college.”

Bright Local, Fairfield and Greenfield led the way with five stars. Lynchburg-Clay earned four stars, and Hillsboro received three stars.

More details and ratings for each district and individual school can be viewed at: https://reportcard.education.ohio.gov.

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