Ohio Schools

    Ohio dropped 11 slots to be ranked 31 out of 50 in the “Smartest State” rankings from Morgan Quinto’s “Education State Rankings 2005-06”. For the 2005-06 rankings, Quinto changed the requirements, and spending per student is no longer a factor. Given more importance were personal attention from teachers, class size, and student achievement.

In terms of the No Child Left Behind act of 2001, Ohio is excelling. Between 2002 and 2005, average test scores have raised almost 10 percentage points. Twice as many schools (1,290) are ranked as “Excellent”, and over 60% are ranked as “Effective” or higher. The number of schools in “Academic Emergency” has dropped by 130.

However, over 61% of Ohio students attend “Title I” schools. Title I schools are schools in low income areas that receive extra federal funding to pay for reduced or free lunches, before or after school tutoring programs, and improvements to schools. Title I schools will receive over $415 million in federal funding during the 2006-07 school year.

Including federal funding, Ohio will spend $4.4 billion during the 2007 fiscal year. Over $6 million will go to the schools that are ranked lowest in the 2006 testing. Including federal funding, Ohio will spend more than $9,000 per student in the 2006-07 school year.

For more information on how a particular school or district tested, or how much money a particular school will receive, visit Ohio’s Department of Education website at http://www.ode.state.oh.us.