CH-UH Quality Profile 2024-2025

CH-UH City Schools Quality Profile 2024-2025

DEAR CH-UH COMMUNITY From the Superintendent The successes of the 2024-2025 school year were a reflection of our school district’s mission: Our schools provide a challenging and engaging education to prepare all of our students to become responsible citizens and succeed in college and career. I am thrilled to share that the Heights High Class of 2025 earned an incredible $22.6 million in college scholarship offers. Our focus on our students’ college and career readiness continues to grow through our strategic work, our community partnerships, and our incredible educators.

As you’ll read in this publication, the CH-UH City School District has made substantial gains on the state report card, notably our high school graduation rate. We are keeping this momentum going as we develop our next strategic plan; keep an eye out for ways to get involved. I wish to thank you, our Heights community, for your continued support of our schools and our students. None of this is possible without you.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Kirby

Superintendent

The District’s theme for 2024-2025 was Heights United, embodying the collaborative, student-focused nature of education in CH-UH schools.

From the President I am proud to share that our ongoing advocacy for public education resulted in some important gains this past year, both within the state budget and with respect to voucher reform. However, the fight continues. Not for the first time, we worked in 2024-2025 against legislation intended to strip away equity in education. Supporters--including students--made trips to Columbus, wrote letters, and made phone calls to defend fair, honest, and high-quality public education. I am proud of Tiger Nation for always standing up for what is right; our children’s future depends upon it.

As I come to the end of my term on the Board of Education and reflect on these past eight years, I am overwhelmed with gratitude. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve our wonderful Tiger Nation students, staff, and community. The legacy of Heights schools will only continue to grow, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for us.

Sincerely,

Malia Lewis

2025 Board of Education President

GOLD STAR PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS

SENIORS NAMED NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARS

All three of the District’s preschool programs have earned Gold ratings, the highest possible, from the Ohio Department of Children & Youth.

Heights High School seniors (‘25) Remy Bourbeau and Gus Szpak were named National Merit Scholarship winners. Remy received the 2025 National Merit Scholarship, and Gus is a recipient of the National Merit Case Western Reserve University Scholarship. William Larkin was named a National Merit Commended Student.

The National Merit program is highly competitive, with semifinalists representing less than 1% of the nation’s high school graduating seniors.

POSITIVE BEHAVIOR AWARDS ACROSS THE DISTRICT Each school in the CH-UH City School District earned the Bronze PBIS Recognition Award from the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce and the Ohio PBIS Network in 2024. PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) utilizes a positive approach to discipline, which leads to a reduction in referrals that decrease instructional time for students.

PBIS provides a strategic way for staff to celebrate positive behavior.

EDUCATORS ARE MASTER TEACHERS Six educators in the CH-UH City School District earned their Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Master Teacher designation in 2025.

Those educators are Alexia Boyles, Rachel Elliott, Ashley Fertig, Caitlyn Gerber, Kristy Minnillo, and Julia Ruddy.

Heights High School students enjoy a book vending machine, an exciting addition to the school’s PBIS initiatives.

OHIO MASTER TEACHER OF THE YEAR

A Master Teacher demonstrates excellence through consistent leadership and focused collaboration to maximize student learning. Candidates, who have worked at least seven years under a teaching contract, apply to earn this designation through a portfolio they develop throughout the school year.

Dr. Shu Hui Lin, Heights High School Mandarin Chinese Language and Business teacher, received the 2025 Ohio Master Teacher of the Year award from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation. She received $7,500 to be put toward a classroom project.

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HEIGHTS GRADS ARE GOING PLACES The Class of 2025 are attending the following institutions or have enlisted in the U.S. military.

$

22 MILLION

The Heights High School Class of 2025 combined to earn approximately $22.6 million in college scholarship offers and acceptance letters from nearly 150 post-secondary institutions. The school has a dedicated College Scholarship Office to help students secure funds that offset the cost of attending college.

More than 100 members of the Class of 2025 walked away from the Senior Recognition Awards Program with a combined total of $147,000 in local scholarships. The annual event, hosted by the high school and the Heights Schools Foundation, recognizes students for their academic, athletic, artistic, and personal achievements.

Alabama State University Ashland University Baldwin Wallace College Bowie State University Bowling Green State University Capital University Carnegie Mellon University Case Western Reserve University Central State University Clark Atlanta University Cleveland Institute of Art Cleveland State University College of Wooster Columbia College of Chicago Columbia University Cuyahoga Community College Drexel University Eastern Michigan University Elizabeth City State University Franciscan University of Steubenville Grand Valley State University Hamilton College Hampton University Hawai’i Pacific University Hilbert College Hiram College

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Indiana Institute of Technology International Culinary Arts and Sciences Institute John Carroll University Kent State University Kenyon College La Barberia Barber School LEAD Prep Academy Loyola University Chicago McGill University Miami University Morgan State University Motor & Sport Institute Madrid Mount Union College NASCAR Technical Institute New York Institute of Technology Norfolk State University North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Northeastern University - Boston Northeastern University - California Ohio University Ohio Wesleyan University Otterbein University Polaris College Regis University

Rochester Institute of Technology Santa Monica College Skidmore College Syracuse University The Ohio State University The Ohio State University Mansfield Campus Thiel College Tiffin University United States Air Force United States Army United States National Guard University of Missouri University of Mount Union Universal Technical Institute University of Akron University of Cincinnati University of Florida University of Kentucky University of Minnesota University of Pittsburgh University of Rochester University of Toledo University of West Virginia Wilberforce University

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AP Scholars

Neatly 70 members of the Heights High School Classes of 2025, 2026, and 2027 were recognized for their outstanding performance in Advanced Placement classes.

The College Board, which administers AP tests, honors students across the country who score at a consistently high level on the annual exams. Heights High had 38 students named as AP Scholars for earning scores of 3 or higher on three or more exams.

AP Scholars with Honor An additional 14 students were recognized as AP Scholars with Honor for earning an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more exams.

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17

AP Scholars with Distinction

17 students were named AP Scholars with Distinction for receiving an average score of 3.5 or higher on all exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more exams.

COLLEGE DEGREE PATHWAY AVAILABLE FOR HEIGHTS STUDENTS Heights High School students can earn their associate’s degree along with their high school diploma. The school’s Associate’s Degree Pathway Program, in partnership with Cuyahoga Community College, is part of the District’s focus on college and career readiness. Qualifying students can take college courses through Tri-C while in high school at no cost to them.

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CH-UH SEES STRONG REPORT CARD GAINS Scan the QR code or visit CHUH.org to read more

The Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District is celebrating an overall score of 3.5 on the 2024-2025 Ohio state report card, an increase of an entire star from 2023-2024.

ent a testam “ This is students’ hard to the well as their work, as ’ strategic teachersaborative and coll support efforts togrowth.” student irby Liz K tendent ~ Superin

01

The District maintained its scores in four components and increased its scores in two components: Gap Closing and Progress.

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The weighted graduation rate is 92.4%, the highest for CH-UH since the state report card was implemented in its current, star-rating format.

03

CH-UH high school students improved in every tested subject area this year compared to 2023-2024.

04

The District’s Performance Index for 2024-2025 was 74.6, a jump from the previous year’s 69.2 and the highest PI in five years.

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CH-UH outpaced the state in improvement in overall performance.

The District earned a perfect four points on its overall Ohio Special Education Rating for 2025. This rating indicates that the District meets state requirements in serving students with disabilities.

The scoring criteria include evaluation, identification, graduation rates, and transition planning, among others.

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“ All educators hav e to participate in been able me professional dev aningful elopment to become experts in the newly adopted math cur riculum. I am especially excite d about the Clarit y for Learning pro fessional learning that teachers com mitted to over the past two yea rs, large part to the thanks in lea Curriculum & Ins dership of our truction Team.” ~ Superintendent Liz Kirby

HEIGHTS HIGH SWIMMERS EARN NATIONAL ACADEMIC AWARDS

DISTRICT EARNS AUDITOR OF STATE AWARD WITH DISTINCTION

Eight Heights seniors (‘25) were named Academic All-Americans by the National High School Coaches Association: Remy Bourbeau, Claire Bunce, Nolan Fluharty, Milo Goldmark, Jack Morehouse, Mitchell Reinhardt, Casey Roufs, and Ella Watterson. This is a national award for varsity athletes who have among the highest cumulative grade point averages in the country.

The CH-UH City School District received the 2024 Auditor of State Award with Distinction, which is given to local governments and school districts upon the completion of a clean financial audit.

Only about 4% of Ohio’s public entities qualify for the award each year.

The girls and boys squads were named AllAmerican Scholar Teams. The boys team received the silver award and the girls team received the gold award.

AVID 2025 SENIORS ANNOUNCE DESTINATIONS The Heights High AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) Signing Day Ceremony in spring of 2025 celebrated the 55 AVID graduates.

Each student announced their next steps after graduation, including college, military, trade school, and the workforce. Throughout the year, AVID students focus on college essays and visits, scholarship applications, and financial aid navigation.

ATHLETES SIGN LETTERS OF INTENT

In 2025, 15 Heights senior athletes from seven different sports earned more than $2.2 million in college scholarships for the next four years and signed letters of intent to 14 different colleges and universities.

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NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM COMES TO HEIGHTS HIGH Heights High School has partnered with Tremco Construction Products Group, a global construction products manufacturer, to give students hands-on experience in the field.

Tremco’s Rising Stars Program is designed to empower the next generation by providing opportunities for sustainable careers in construction.

The curriculum includes carpentry, project management, solar panel installation, roofing, construction management and architecture.

Heights High School is the first host site for Rising Stars in the Cleveland area. Sixteen Heights High students were enrolled in Rising Stars in ’24-’25, which is managed by the 21st Century TASSEL program at Heights.

Left: Derrick Fair, Dametriana Blade, and Tyreece Tatum won the Tremco Rising Stars first-ever Ice Box Challenge.

The scientific demonstration visually highlights the benefits of using energy-efficient building practices.

“ Having early, hands-on exposure to different career opportunities breaks down barriers and builds confidence.” ~ Dr. Brandon Towns Heights High School Principal

5 STARS FOR CTE CH-UH partners with Maple Heights, Shaker Heights, and Warrensville Heights city school districts to offer 22 programs for high school juniors and seniors through the Heights Career Tech consortium. Heights Career Tech earned a perfect 5-star rating on the 2024-2025 state Career Technical Planning District Report Card.

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EQUITY WORK IN HEIGHTS SCHOOLS TODAY In 2016, CH-UH implemented an Educational Equity Policy, the first of its kind in Cuyahoga County.

Educational equity addresses the policies, practices, programs, personnel, and resources required to ensure access to educational opportunity and achievement for all students. The CH-UH Board of Education was recognized in 2025 by the Cleveland NAACP as “Guardians of Justice” for their unwavering commitment to educational equality.

STUDENTS ADVOCATE FOR EQUITY Heights High students Jesse Bowling, Kennedi Brown, Cavan Bruce, and Emmanuel Gutierrez testified in May 2025 in front of the state Senate Education Committee in support of the Fair School Funding Plan and against a draft bill that would force public school districts to end any current diversity and inclusion offices and ban any type of DEI training.

These are a few examples of what the students said when asked by Sen. Kent Smith, “What is it that you like best about being a Heights Tiger?” “ I can always find my group of people. You’re just accepted.” “ The connection we have with staff and teachers is very helpful, to have someone you can lean on.” “ I’m not forced into a narrow box. I can do a variety of things and just be myself.” “ We are all a family. School is a place where I feel safe, and I feel loved.”

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CH-UH PARTNERSHIPS SUPPORT STUDENTS

The Heights Family Resource Center is more than a place where CH-UH students’ families can pick up needed household items, shelf-stable food, clothing or school supplies. It is also a central location for learning and connecting. The HFRC held its grand opening at the start of the 2024-2025 school year with a back-to-school resource fair, attended by more than 600 students and family members.

The Heights Wellness Center at Heights High School and the MetroHealth mobile unit saw a combined 1,264 visits from K-12 students during the 2024-2025 school year. The Heights Wellness Center, which is staffed by MetroHealth providers, serves CH-UH students, their families, and District staff. The center provides healthcare services and connections to local resources, all at no cost to families.

“ While helping a student obtain a work permit application, I mentioned that she could call Metro at Heights High School if she needed a physical. I gave her guardian the consent form. Within an hour, the student had her physical at the Heights Wellness Center and was able to complete the forms for her employer.” ~ Vivian Gatta, BOE Front Desk Representative The District partners with Vision to Learn to provide students with vision screenings, exams, and prescription eyeglasses, all at no cost to their families. In the 2024-2025 school year, Vision to Learn provided 209 students with exams and 173 students with new eyeglasses. The services and glasses are provided at no cost thanks in large part to a grant from the Ford Motor Fund.

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BROWNS PARTNERSHIP BOOSTS TIGER NATION STUDENT ATTENDANCE

BUILDING HEIGHTS EMPOWERS TEENS THROUGH FILMMAKING

Tiger Nation joined the Cleveland Browns Stay in the Game! Attendance Network in the 2024-2025 school year. Stay in the Game! provides schools with resources and incentives to help improve student attendance, such as Browns game tickets and autographed gameday footballs.

Building Heights, the area non-profit that runs the filmmaking program Heights Middle School Shorts, ran two camps for local teens; took a group of middle school filmmakers to Los Angeles over the summer; and partnered with Heights CTE students to produce a documentary about the revitalization of the Caledonia neighborhood, GreenPrint.

FRESH FOOD PARTNERSHIP HELPS CH-UH FAMILIES

DISTRICT INVESTS IN FUTURE TEACHING TALENT

Students, families, and CH-UH community members can receive fresh produce and pantry items each month at Boulevard, Gearity, and Oxford elementary schools, thanks to a partnership with the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. The schools served a combined 9,202 visitors at the monthly food markets in 2024-2025.

The CH-UH Human Resources team developed a ‘Grow Your Own’ program in 2019 to support their goal of attracting and retaining high-quality, diverse educators. This program provides non-licensed staff with access to grant funded scholarships for postsecondary coursework, helping them advance their careers in education. Ten staff and 2 Heights High seniors received scholarships in ’24-’25. In the 20242025 school year, the District expanded outreach to graduating seniors pursuing careers in education.

REACHING HEIGHTS HITS THE HIGH NOTES

ODA SUPPORTS EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

One hundred CH-UH middle and elementary students spent their second week of summer at the 19th annual Reaching Heights Summer Music Camp, learning from Heights alumni, high school mentors, and experts in the community, all while preparing for a concert at the end of the week.

Open Doors Academy serves all CH-UH middle and high school students, providing them with after-school programming such as life skills workshops, field trips, tutoring, and postsecondary planning.

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HIGHLIGHTS OF 2024-2025 NHS Inducts 58 New Members

District Names Staff Awardees

The Heights High School chapter of the National Honor Society inducted 58 sophomores and juniors into the organization in May of 2025.

Students with a 3.5 GPA or above are invited to apply for membership, having also demonstrated achievement in the area of scholarship, service, leadership, and character.

District employees celebrated a year of excellence at the Annual Staff Awards Ceremony at the end of the 2024-25 school year.

TEACHER OF THE YEAR TAMAR GRAY

HELPING HAND OF THE YEAR BRENDA HOCKETT

Vocal Music Teacher Fairfax Elementary School

Lunchroom Supervisor Canterbury Elementary

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR ALMAD ALLEN

ADMINISTRATOR OF THE YEAR SCOTT GAINER

Dean of Students Roxboro Middle School

Chief Financial Officer/ Treasurer

Hall of Fame Inducts Ten In October 2024, the Heights Schools Foundation hosted the 44th induction of the Cleveland Heights High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame by honoring ten extraordinary alumni.

Heights High School Lights Up for Kelce The black and gold turned red and gold ahead of Travis Kelce’s (’08) fifth Super Bowl with The Kansas City Chiefs.

Elementary Students Connect to College Second graders at Noble partnered as book buddies with Case Western Reserve University students. CWRU students visited Noble to read with students, and Noble students toured the CWRU campus a few weeks later.

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And in the community...

• Heights High School digitalvideo/television production teacher Cynthia Booker was named the 2025 Journalism Educator of the Year by the Greater Cleveland Association of Black Journalists.

• Baumgardner Middle School math teacher Jon Diligente was named the 2024 University Heights Educator of the Year.

• Family Engagement Specialist Lisa M. Hunt received the 2025 Shanita Burney Award for District Leadership in Family and Community Engagement.

• The City of Cleveland Heights named the soccer field at Denison Park after longtime teacher, soccer coach, and Heights Alumni Hall of Fame member Sean Sullivan.

Sullivan was also named by the Cavs as the Jr. Cavs Youth Community Coach of the Year in 2025.

CH-UH school bus driver Dorian Pace saved the lives of 15 students by evacuating them off of the bus just minutes before it was engulfed in flames on February 27. Pace was honored for his heroism by the District, local and state elected officials, the American Red Cross, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, among others.

The District recognized the staff members who worked with first responders to help keep the Heights High building safe during the apartment building site fire that broke out the night of January 24.

Heights Scores Big Hit With ‘Big Fish’

More than 200 student actors, musicians, and stage crew came together to bring the Heights fall musical, Big Fish, to the stage in 2024. The performances showcased the diverse artistic talents of the district’s middle and high school students through the beloved story of a man’s larger-than-life tales.

Artists’ Work Displayed Across State

Heights Barbershoppers Receive ‘Outstanding’ Ratings

The Men’s and Women’s Barbershoppers vocal music groups received ratings of ‘Outstanding’ at the Barbershop Harmony Society International Festival in January. The Women’s Barbershoppers were also named “Audience Favorite” and the overall champions in their ensemble size category.

Middle, High School Students Perform Together

The annual Creative Heights District Art Show at the Heights Libraries Lee Road branch presented student artwork from all seven elementary schools, both middle schools, and multiple classes at Heights High.

Out of more than 1,200 submissions, seven Heights High School student artists received awards from the annual Governor’s Art Show, with two selected to have their artwork displayed at the Rhodes State Office Tower in Columbus.

Those student artists were seniors (‘25) Antonia Casucci and Gavin McIntyre.

Eighth grade orchestra students from Roxboro and Baumgardner middle schools joined their high school peers on stage for a combined performance at the 2025 Midwinter IMD concert. After that morning’s rehearsal, the nearly 50 middle school orchestra students shadowed the high school string players for part of the school day.

Middle Schools Succeed In Writing Competitions

Both Baumgardner and Roxboro Middle School students have power in their pens. The two schools hosted successful Power of the Pen writing tournaments in January and February, with both sending multiple students on to the next round of competition.

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TIGER NATION

BY THE NUMBERS CH-UH STUDENTS

CH-UH STAFF

4,863 TOTAL STUDENTS

949 FULL TIME DISTRICT EMPLOYEES

51

MALE

FEMALE

49

African American 70% Black White

17%

Multiracial

6%

Hispanic/Latinx

6%

Asian

1%

American Indian Alaskan Native

<1%

Pacific Islander

<1%

CH-UH has 102 students identified as English Learners from 17 different countries, speaking 16 different languages.

HEIGHTS GRADS

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18 418 189 157 69 59 Administrators / Professional Staff

killed Crafts & S Service Workers

Principals & Assistant Principals

Instructional, Student & Operational Support

Classroom Teachers

Administrative Support

Classroom Paraprofessionals & Lunch Nonparaprofessionals

Long-Term Substitutes

FACILITIES

90.2% Class of 2024

Graduation Rate 4-Year

7

95.7% Class of 2023

Graduation Rate 5-Year

$

14

387

Class of 2025 Graduates

22.6 MILLION

Scholarships Earned Class of 2025

6

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

Boulevard, Canterbury, Fairfax, Gearity, Noble, Oxford, Roxboro

2

MIDDLE SCHOOLS

2

HIGH SCHOOLS

Baumgardner Roxboro

Heights High Delisle Options Center

1,107,709 SQ. FT.

130 ACRES

Active School Building Space

School District Property

FUNDING

TRANSPORTATION

DISTRICT ANNUAL BUDGET

71%

PROPERTY TAXES

20%

INTERGOVERNMENTAL- STATE

9%

OTHER REVENUES & RESOURCES

$119,165 TOTAL (FY2025) TOTAL SHOWN IN THOUSANDS

GENERAL FUND DISBURSEMENTS & SERVICES $121,683 $109,259

$112,594

Transport 2,333 CH-UH, special education, non-public & community school students in grades PreK-8 traveling to and from 64 educational facilities and training sites.

Combined, the vehicles travel 7,295 miles daily, or 1,313,100 miles yearly.

29 YELLOW BUSES

Travel 1,402 miles daily, transporting 2,114 students

31 CONTRACTED VANS

Travel 5,893 miles daily, transporting 96 students. $68,114

$63,799

62 VEHICLES

$64,680

$1,109

AVERAGE TRANSPORTATION COST PER REGULAR EDUCATION STUDENT During 2024-2025

$30,546 $26,064

$28,219

$11,276

AVERAGE TRANSPORTATION COST PER SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENT During 2024-2025

$11,323

$4,173 $823 $2,579

$14,133 $12,720 $4,986 $3,464 $702 $2,397

$1,026 $2,371

$498

$412

$507

FY23 Actual

FY24 Actual

FY25 Actual

Salaries & Wages

Capital Outlay

Fringe Benefits

Fees/Other

Purchased Services/Vouchers

Transfers & Advances

Materials & Supplies

NUTRITION In 2024-2025, the District operated under the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which allows all students to eat for free each school day.

Breakfast 324,476 Lunch 554,603 Snack 71,554 Dinner 21,226

971,859 MEALS SERVED IN 2024-2025 15

CH-UH BOARD OF EDUCATION Malia Lewis, President (2025) Gabe Crenshaw, Vice President (2025) Dan Heintz Jodi Sourini Phil Trimble Elizabeth Kirby, Superintendent Angele Latham, CFO/Treasurer

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CH-UH Board of Education 2155 Miramar Boulevard University Heights, OH 44118 (216) 371-7171 info@chuh.org www.chuh.org