State report cards released

TIFFIN — Ohio's school report cards were released earlier this month, and local results were mixed. Districts were ranked in six categories, and also received an overall rating. Categories included Achievement, which details how well students performed on state tests; Progress, which measures student growth based on past performance; Gap Closing, which is a measure of the reduction in educational gaps for student groups; Graduation; Early Literacy; and College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness. Seneca East Local Schools received a 5-star overall rating, with their achievement, progress and early literacy categories given four stars and gap closing, graduation and readiness receiving five stars. Superintendent David Danhoff said, "We are ecstatic about our 5-star rating overall." Out of 607 districts statewide, he said, "We are one of 47 school districts in the state of Ohio to receive a 5 star." Danhoff expressed gratitude to Laurie Hunker, Seneca East curriculum director, and the district's principals, teachers and support staff, for their dedication to student success, and noted the supportive parents and family members that "make a huge difference." Seneca East is "never satisfied with the status quo" and will continue to seek ways to "improve our delivery system with our students" to improve any areas of weakness, he said. New Riegel Schools also scored well, with a 4.5-star overall rating. Superintendent David Rombach said the rating "reflects the dedication of our teachers, staff, students and families in providing a high-quality education." The district's 5-star rating in college, career, workforce and military readiness places New Riegel in the top 10% of all Ohio districts, and receiving four stars in early literacy places the district in the top 16%. Rombach said New Riegel's two three-star ratings, in both progress and gap closing, "show where additional support can help some students grow even more," and targeted interventions and data-driven instruction will help improve those ratings. The district also received four stars in achievement. Hopewell-Louden was rated with four stars overall, in achievement and gap closing, five stars in graduation, three stars in early literacy, and two stars for progress. Superintendent Matthew White said the 4-star overall rating "is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our students, staff and families," and reflects the strong teaching, learning and student growth at Hopewell-Loudon. White said the State Report Card is "only one small part of a child's school experience," and the opportunities for students in athletics, art, and activities, as well as the character and leadership skills of students, are strong components in the district's success. Mohawk schools' superintendent Andrew Sprang reflected on his district's report card, noting that Mohawk again received a 4-star overall rating, and the 4-star gap closing and early literacy ratings were improvements from last year. The two-star progress component, he said, "is our area of focus," with "very intentional" efforts to continue to develop student growth. "We are working with staff and students on goal setting," he said, and will continue "to pay close attention to the trends in order to continue making adjustments with instruction and resources in the classroom." Mohawk received a 5-star rating in graduation and four stars in both achievement and college, career, workforce and military readiness. Fostoria City Schools received the following ratings: 2.5 overall, 2 for achievement and progress, 3 for gap closing and graduation, and one in early literacy and readiness. Superintendent Jason Longbrake said, "One of the district's goals for the 2025-2026 school year is to continue to engage our families and continue to improve attendance throughout the district." Longbrake said student attendance rates and 4-year graduation rates increased last year from the previous year, and growth in reading improvement and proficiency continues to be a focus. He said the new report card component, College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness, gives the distinct exciting opportunities to prepare for life after graduation, and Fostoria has established several partnerships to improve the district's rating moving forward. Tiffin City Schools superintendent Jerry Nadeau said his district "met state standards" and he is "very pleased" with that outcome. TCS received a 3-star rating overall, three stars in achievement, gap closing, graduation and readiness, and two stars in progress and early literacy. Nadeau said while the district's report card hasn't changed much in the past three years, percentages of success have increased. For example, he said, TCS had a 74.5% achievement score from the 2022/2023 school year, but that number had risen to 76.4% last year. "We are showing incremental improvements in the right areas," he said. Nadeau noted the school's resources are expanding and improving, and a strong focus moving forward will be on improving the district's performance in progress and early literacy. He praised the dedication of TCS staff members, the school board, leadership and families in the district, and said he believes the district now is in a position to grow and show gains. As superintendent, Nadeau's focus remains on transparency and engagement with the community. Additional ratings are as follows: Arcadia - 4-star overall, 4-star achievement, three-star progress, four-star gap closing, five-star graduation, four-star early literacy and readiness. Bellevue - 4-star overall, 4-star achievement, three-star progress, five-star gap closing and graduation, 3-star early literacy and readiness. Buckeye Central - 4-star overall, 4-star achievement, 3-star progress, 4-star gap closing, 5-star graduation, 4-star early literacy and readiness. Carey - 3.5-star overall, 3-star achievement, 2-star progress, 4-star gap closing, 5-star graduation, 3-star early literacy and readiness. Clyde/Green Springs - 4-star overall, achievement and progress, 5-star gap closing and graduation, 2-star early literacy, 4-star readiness. Upper Sandusky - 4-star overall and achievement, 3-star progress, 5-star gap closing, 4-star graduation and early literacy, 3-star readiness. Van Buren - 4-star overall and achievement, 3-star progress, 4-star gap closing, 5-star graduation, 4-star early literacy, 3-star readiness. The Advertiser-Tribune also reached out the the superintendents of both Lakota and Old Fort schools, but did not receive a response by press time.