OPINION: New school ratings highlight connection between wealth and achievement

Photo via The New Political

Alyssa Gray, a Senior studying Political Science, argues that the shortcomings for Athens County schools underscore a larger problem.

Ohio just released its 2025 school report cards. Each district receives a rating from one to five stars, with one indicating a need for significant support, five indicating significant exceeding of state standards, and three indicating meeting state standards. 

Districts are scored on individual elements and then weighed to determine an overall score. The categories are as follows:

Achievement: This component evaluates student test performance and indicates whether the district meets statewide standards. The unit to measure this is performance level results on the Ohio State Tests for students in grades 3 through high school.

Progress: This component is assessed by looking at past achievement scores and comparing them to current results on Ohio State Tests.  

Early Literacy: The early literacy score is determined by reading improvement and proficiency for students in grades K-3. The three measures are proficiency in third-grade reading, promotion to fourth grade and improving K-3 literacy. Proficiency in third-grade reading is determined by the number of students who score proficient or higher on the reading portion of Ohio's State Test for grade 3 English language arts. Promotion to fourth grade is the percentage of students who continue from 3rd grade to 4th grade.  The improving K-3 literacy score uses data from two consecutive years to determine if districts are doing a good job providing support to students struggling with reading. 

Gap Closing: The Gap Closing component evaluates how effectively schools meet performance expectations in English language arts, math, and graduation rates. It also measures how well schools support English learners in developing language proficiency, reduce chronic absenteeism among all students, and identify and provide services for gifted students.

Graduation: This component measures the graduation rates for students within the district.

The College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness: This component was a new addition to the report cards this year. It evaluates how well a district or school prepares its graduating class for post-secondary pathways, whether that be further education, entering the workforce or enlisting in the military. This measure is determined by dividing the number of students in the four-year adjusted graduation rate group who demonstrate post-secondary readiness by the total students in that group. A list of elements that determine postsecondary pathway readiness can be found on the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce website.

Athens City Schools performed the best out of all the schools within Athens County. Athens County is home to five school districts: Nelsonville-York City School, Alexander Local School District, Federal Hocking Local and Trimble Local School District. Though each school has different enrollment and financial needs of students, each school is close enough in enrollment and socioeconomic makeup that they can be compared. Athens City Schools overall received a rating of 4. Their highest categories were gap closing and progress, with each receiving a 5, while the worst was graduation rate, which stands at a 2. The Trimble Local School District scored the worst out of the Athens County schools. The district received a 2.5 overall. 

Seeing this data shows how local funds, such as property taxes, can impact local schools and spending per student. Athens City Schools gets 57.6% of its district funding locally, with a total of $25,401,736. Trimble, on the other hand, is only at 7% with a mere $1,230,427. While Trimble relies more heavily on state funds, the amount of money available to them is still much smaller, leaving them at a disadvantage. Even though they receive a higher percentage of their funding from the state, that percentage translates to fewer actual dollars per student. This creates a cycle where wealthier districts can offer stronger academic programs, better facilities, and higher teacher salaries, while poorer districts struggle to keep up.

Athens City Schools serves an area that is far from the wealthy suburbs of Columbus, but its funding base benefits from the property taxes of homes owned by university professors and professionals, many of whom earn significantly more than the blue-collar workers living outside the city limits. Even though Athens is not a wealthy district by suburban standards, it is still able to generate more local revenue than neighboring rural districts like Trimble. The result is a noticeable gap in per-student spending and the kinds of educational resources available, although these districts are only a short drive from each other.

This disparity between districts is not unique to Southeastern Ohio. Across the nation, school funding tied to property taxes leads to unequal opportunities for students. Those in wealthier neighborhoods often attend schools with newer facilities, smaller class sizes, a wider range of extracurriculars, and access to advanced coursework. Meanwhile, students in lower-income areas may face outdated textbooks, fewer support staff, and limited academic or vocational programs. A child’s educational experience is shaped not by their potential, but by the relative wealth of the community in which they happen to live. This system reinforces inequality, leaving students’ futures dependent on their ZIP code.

Please note that these views and opinions do not reflect those of The New Political.