Cincy Best Schools 2018

BEST SCHOOLS

100+ Schools Ranked

Brought to you by:

Best Schools 2018

For the fifth year in a row, we’re crunching the numbers and ranking Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky high schools to determine which are the best. Where did your school fall in our rankings?

I N SI DE:

46 Top Schools 48 School Rankings 52 Honorable Mentions 53 Special Programs 56 Outstanding Educators 60 Cincinnati Public Schools 62 Private School Guide 74 St. Gertrude School

OHIO

Madeira High School

MADEIR A CIT Y SCHOOLS DISTRICT

After a year off, Madeira High School returns to the No. 1 spot in our annual high school rankings. Madeira takes the top ranking so often because it consistently does well in all categories. It has the highest school performance index score of the schools ranked and is among the best in the categories of attendance rate, graduation rate, student/teacher ratio and ACT score. Outside of academics, the school had a student play in the French Open Junior tennis tournament, had its baseball team play in the state tournament, and celebrated 10 years of its Day of Service program.

2 Walnut Hills High School CINCINNATI PUBIC SCHOOLS

After sitting at No. 4 for the last two years, Walnut Hills High School has maneuvered itself into the No. 2 spot. A perennial member of many best schools in Ohio lists, the high school keeps itself at the top with the second highest school performance index score (89), a 100 percent graduation rate and a high pass rate of AP tests (81.1 percent). Its students also do well on ACT tests, with five students scoring a perfect 36 this year. However, Walnut Hills is also committed to having well-rounded students who excel in categories in areas other than academics. In the last year, 46

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students covered the mayor’s race for the school newspaper, raised funds for new band uniforms with a GoFundMe page and competed at the Prasco Charity Championship at TPC River’s Bend.

3 Indian Hill High School

INDIAN HILL EXEMPTED V ILLAGE SCHOOL DISTRICT

thanks to its girls soccer team being named Ohio Division II state champions and ranked No. 35 out of 16,000 girls’ varsity teams. One of the team’s players was also named the 2017-18 Gatorade Ohio Girls Soccer Player of the Year, the first from Indian Hill to do so in 33 years.

4 Wyoming High School

W YOMING CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

With the highest per-pupil spending in the region ($15,992) and one of the lowest student/teacher ratios in the Tristate (11.41 to 1), Indian Hill High School continues its reign as one of the best high schools in the area. Indian Hill found success both in and out of the classroom this year, though,

Seven Wyoming High School students received perfect ACT scores this year, an impressive number that is more impressive when you consider the entire school consists of 638 students. Though Wyoming dropped from No. 3 to No. 4 year this year,

the school continued to score well with the state (with the third highest school performance index score), a low student/ teacher ratio and a high percentage of students passing their AP tests (78.3 percent).

5 William Mason High School

KENTUCKY

1 Highlands High School

FORT THOMAS INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

MASON CIT Y SCHOOLS

William Mason High School jumped into the top five this year for the first time since Cincy Magazine started the Best Schools feature. With the highest enrollment of any school in the Tristate with 3,467 students, its students perform well on Ohio’s End-of-Course exams. Mason students are also finding success in the arts. Mason students won four Tristate high school theater awards, called Cappies: best marketing and publicity, best props, best stage management and stage crew, and best lead actor in a play.

6 Turpin High School

F OR E S T H I L L S L O C A L S C HO OL DISTRICT

Turpin High School continues to do well thanks to its investment in its students and its teachers. The school has a low student/ teacher ratio of 15.77 to 1, and 79.4 percent of its teachers have master’s degrees. In addition, the school spends $9,717 per student. In return, students have been able to excel academically and athletically.

One student was invited to play football for Team USA in the International Bowl and 58.1 percent of students who took AP tests received a 3 or higher.

7 Sycamore High School

SYCAMORE COMMUNIT Y SCHOOL DISTRICT

While Sycamore continues to offer a quality education to its students, it’s also given them opportunities to come together to support their community. For example, Sycamore High School engineering and architectural students gave the school district recommendations on features that would be beneficial for the STEAM bus, a redesigned school bus that travels throughout the district as a classroom.

Students also came together to support one of their own when a senior was diagnosed with an inoperable neurological condition. They participated in the Heart Mini to show their support.

After two years at No. 2, Highlands High School is once again No.1 in our annual Northern Kentucky high school ranking. Highlands High School is in the 99th percentile of schools in Kentucky according to the state’s ranking and its students earn an average ACT score of 24.3.

Outside of class, students earned two Cappie awards (best featured actress in a play and best critic team) and a student was named Kentucky’s Mr. Baseball for the 2018 season.

2 Beechwood High School

BEECHWOOD INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

Beechwood High School’s students and teachers are carrying on its pattern of excellence this year, as many are winning awards for everything from academics to art. The Northern Kentucky Education Council named one student from the school an Academic All-Star during its annual Excellence in Education awards. The national Scholastic Art Awards honored four Beechwood students for their artistic submissions. And the Cincinnati Arts Association awarded one student the instrumental music Overture Award and a $4,000 scholarship for his skill with the saxophone.

3 Walton-Verona High School

WALTON-V ERONA INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

Walton-Verona High School takes the No. 3 spot in Northern Kentucky yet again thanks to its low student/teacher ratio (15.97 to 1), high graduation rate (97.6 percent) and quality test scores. Outside of class, its students have excelled in competitions as varied as the Microsoft Office Specialist U.S. National Championship (a student took third place in the MOS Word 2016 category) and KHSAA state wrestling meet (with a student being named state champion in the 106-pound bracket).

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47

Best SCHOOLS

District

School Performance Index Score

State Percentile (Among High Schools)

State Performance Index Grade

Attendance Rate

MADEIRA HIGH SCHOOL

Madeira City

416

$11,283

7 out of 8

89.2

99

B

96.1%

WALNUT HILLS HIGH SCHOOL

Cincinnati City

2,840

$10,367

11 out of 12

89

99

B

97.5%

INDIAN HILL HIGH SCHOOL

Indian Hill Exempted Village

606

$15,992

6 out of 8

85.9

98

B

95.1%

WYOMING HIGH SCHOOL

Wyoming City

638

$12,201

6 out of 8

87.2

99

B

95.3%

WILLIAM MASON HIGH SCHOOL

Mason City

3,467

$9,305

7 out of 8

86.3

98

B

96.8%

TURPIN HIGH SCHOOL

Forest Hills Local

1,093

$9,717

5 out of 8

83.2

95

B

96.3%

SYCAMORE HIGH SCHOOL

Sycamore Community City

1,584

$11,809

5 out of 8

83.5

96

B

96.3%

BELLBROOK HIGH SCHOOL

Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Local

807

$9,525

6 out of 8

83.2

95

B

95.7%

MARIEMONT HIGH SCHOOL

Mariemont City

501

$11,718

5 out of 8

85.6

97

B

93.8%

ANDERSON HIGH SCHOOL

Forest Hills Local

1,231

$9,717

4 out of 8

81.1

93

B

95.5%

SPRINGBORO HIGH SCHOOL

Springboro Community City

1,797

$7,507

4 out of 9

82.1

94

B

96.8% 96.7%

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57

Enrollment

Rank

Research by Bill Ferguson, Jr.

Per-Pupil Spending (District)

High School* (2016-17 data except where noted)

Number of State Standards Met

Southwest Ohio Public and Community Charter High Schools

LAKOTA EAST HIGH SCHOOL

Lakota Local

2,414

$9,380

5 out of 8

81.1

93

B

WAYNESVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

Wayne Local

460

$8,217

5 out of 8

81.3

93

B

95.6%

LOVELAND HIGH SCHOOL

Loveland City

1,448

$9,067

3 out of 9

76.2

83

C

94.5%

LAKOTA WEST HIGH SCHOOL

Lakota Local

2,192

$9,380

3 out of 8

80.7

92

B

96.9%

ROSS HIGH SCHOOL

Ross Local

716

$8,150

2 out of 8

77.9

87

C

95.3%

LITTLE MIAMI HIGH SCHOOL

Little Miami Local

1,110

$8,264

4 out of 8

78.6

88

C

95.0%

KINGS HIGH SCHOOL

Kings Local

1,176

$9,047

3 out of 8

78.3

88

C

94.6%

GOSHEN HIGH SCHOOL

Goshen Local

692

$8,389

3 out of 8

72.2

69

C

94.3%

SCHOOL FOR CREATIVE & PERFORMING ARTS HIGH SCHOOL

Cincinnati City

1,374

$10,367

7 out of 23

71.8

67

C

97.1%

BETHEL-TATE HIGH SCHOOL

Bethel-Tate Local

408

$6,923

2 out of 8

73.3

73

C

92.5%

WILLIAMSBURG HIGH SCHOOL

Williamsburg Local

508

$7,283

2 out of 16

73.6

74

C

94.9%

LEBANON HIGH SCHOOL

Lebanon City

1,542

$7,795

1 out of 8

75.1

79

C

95.8%

DEER PARK JUNIOR/SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Deer Park Community City

535

$9,989

4 out of 13

71

64

C

94.0%

NEW RICHMOND HIGH SCHOOL

New Richmond Exempted Village

628

$8,779

2 out of 9

71.8

67

C

94.0%

MILFORD SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Milford Exempted Village

1,849

$8,807

1 out of 8

75.6

81

C

94.2% 95.6%

CLINTON-MASSIE HIGH SCHOOL

Clinton-Massie Local

560

$7,989

2 out of 9

73.3

73

C

READING COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL

Reading Community City

362

$8,359

1 out of 8

70.7

62

C

93.4%

BLANCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL

Blanchester Local

439

$8,086

1 out of 8

74

76

C

94.6%

CARLISLE HIGH SCHOOL

Carlisle Local

443

$9,233

2 out of 8

73.3

73

C

95.1%

MONROE JUNIOR/SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Monroe Local

1,066

$7,226

3 out of 13

75.5

80

C

94.5%

TALAWANDA HIGH SCHOOL

Talawanda City

892

$10,429

1 out of 8

71.7

66

C

94.3%

OAK HILLS HIGH SCHOOL

Oak Hills Local

2,209

$8,216

2 out of 8

70.5

61

C

93.8%

MADISON HIGH SCHOOL

Madison Local

395

$8,004

1 out of 8

70.6

61

C

95.0%

TAYLOR HIGH SCHOOL

Three Rivers Local

847

$8,134

2 out of 13

71.3

65

C

94.4%

EDGEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL

Edgewood City

944

$8,361

0 out of 8

71.2

64

C

93.8%

FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL

Franklin City

756

$8,606

2 out of 8

68.6

54

D

94.5%

WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON HIGH SCHOOL

Southwest Local

916

$7,981

0 out of 8

70.9

63

C

92.7%

BATAVIA HIGH SCHOOL

Batavia Local

546

$6,870

1 out of 8

67.2

49

D

93.6%

CLARK MONTESSORI HIGH SCHOOL

Cincinnati City

699

$10,367

2 out of 13

61.9

35

D

97.7%

NORWOOD HIGH SCHOOL

Norwood City

524

$9,855

1 out of 8

65.2

43

D

93.2%

CLERMONT NORTHEASTERN HIGH SCHOOL

Clermont Northeastern Local

391

$9,609

0 out of 8

64.5

41

D

93.6%

WESTERN BROWN HIGH SCHOOL

Western Brown Local

825

$7,420

0 out of 7

63.5

38

D

95.8%

NORTHWEST HIGH SCHOOL

Northwest Local

714

$8,293

0 out of 8

59.8

30

D

90.6%

GLEN ESTE HIGH SCHOOL

West Clermont Local

1,107

$7,365

0 out of 8

60.7

32

D

94.4%

FELICITY-FRANKLIN LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL

Felicity-Franklin Local

245

$9,092

0 out of 8

61.4

34

D

91.7%

AMELIA HIGH SCHOOL

West Clermont Local

1,117

$7,365

0 out of 8

60.6

31

D

94.0%

COLERAIN HIGH SCHOOL

Northwest Local

1,578

$8,293

0 out of 8

61.6

34

D

92.7%

ST. BERNARD-ELMWOOD PLACE HIGH SCHOOL

St. Bernard-Elmwood Place City

403

$9,492

0 out of 12

58.5

27

D

92.9%

FINNEYTOWN SECONDARY CAMPUS

Finneytown Local

630

$10,027

0 out of 13

56.7

25

D

96.2%

PRINCETON HIGH SCHOOL

Princeton City

1,612

$9,736

0 out of 8

58.4

27

D

93.7%

HAMILTON HIGH SCHOOL

Hamilton City

1,812

$8,086

0 out of 8

60

30

D

92.6%

JAMES N. GAMBLE MONTESSORI HIGH SCHOOL

Cincinnati City

483

$10,367

0 out of 13

54

22

D

97.5%

FAIRFIELD HIGH SCHOOL

Fairfield City

1,874

$7,213

0 out of 9

63.3

37

D

94.0%

MIDDLETOWN HIGH SCHOOL

Middletown City

1,251

$7,282

0 out of 8

53.2

22

D

92.6%

NEW MIAMI HIGH SCHOOL

New Miami Local

138

$10,633

0 out of 7

49.9

18

F

91.8%

WINTON WOODS HIGH SCHOOL

Winton Woods City

1,018

$9,939

0 out of 8

52.5

21

D

92.0%

*All school buildings are listed by the state as enrolling 12th-graders. These can be traditional 9-12 schools, such as regular public high schools, or K-12, many of which are community schools.

NC — Not calculated or not reported (unranked schools had incomplete data) UR — Unranked

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Teacher Attendance Rate

Average ACT Score**

High School English I EOC at or above Proficient

High School English II EOC at or above Proficient

High School Algebra I or Math I EOC at or above Proficient

High School Geometry or Math II EOC at or above Proficient

Number of Advanced Placement Classes***

% of Students Taking AP Test***

% Scoring 3 or Higher on AP Test***

96.3%

25.12

93.5%

92.9%

83.1%

90.7%

97.2%

89.7%

99.1%

16

66.7%

63.8%

71.6%

96.6%

25.92

97.1%

94.1%

89.7%

92.7%

91.9%

99.8%

98.4%

42

85.9%

81.1%

96.8%

11.41

88.3%

96.6%

NC

92.0%

89.3%

52.4%

80.3%

95.2%

92.2%

92.7%

35

74.6%

75.6%

98.8%

13.84

75.0%

95.0%

26.07

89.6%

91.5%

65.1%

89.5%

91.9%

89.2%

89.8%

33

82.7%

78.3%

97.1%

21.27

84.0%

95.8%

24.59

91.3%

90.4%

83.1%

86.1%

92.7%

93.7%

94.0%

38

69.4%

49.8%

95.6%

15.77

79.4%

95.8%

23.89

83.9%

86.9%

79.1%

74.5%

87.1%

92.4%

93.2%

26

60.3%

58.1%

96.0%

13.28

70.5%

95.3%

23.59

84.9%

88.9%

70.8%

71.2%

85.4%

92.0%

91.7%

36

53.8%

48.4%

97.7%

17.70

75.4%

95.9%

22.71

86.4%

82.9%

64.9%

80.0%

92.9%

93.8%

92.5%

15

38.5%

15.7%

97.6%

14.52

87.6%

97.0%

24.72

88.0%

90.2%

16.1%

79.8%

84.2%

91.7%

100.0%

16

61.1%

56.3% 35.1%

High School History EOC at or above Proficient

Teachers With At Least a Master's Degree 83.8%

22.19

High School Government EOC at or above Proficient

Student/Teacher Ratio 13.08

High School Biology EOC at or above Proficient

4-Year Graduation Rate (Class of 2016) 97.3% 100.0%

94.1%

16.66

75.5%

96.2%

22.56

86.6%

84.8%

75.5%

69.9%

79.7%

82.1%

90.8%

25

53.9%

95.6%

23.04

72.0%

95.6%

23.12

84.4%

79.5%

73.4%

71.2%

84.7%

89.9%

93.3%

17

30.4%

9.9%

92.9%

20.95

74.9%

95.5%

22.22

88.1%

80.2%

62.4%

70.5%

84.6%

88.9%

90.3%

28

32.2%

23.8%

97.4%

20.18

60.6%

96.4%

21.64

84.2%

80.5%

61.6%

63.8%

83.5%

88.8%

92.8%

10

11.9%

18.9%

96.6%

17.38

88.0%

95.6%

22.47

76.5%

78.3%

69.9%

59.6%

88.8%

86.8%

85.4%

24

39.9%

33.2%

95.5%

20.13

67.3%

95.5%

22.11

82.9%

78.8%

64.1%

69.1%

75.2%

85.7%

89.2%

26

31.4%

23.2%

98.1%

15.40

51.6%

97.1%

20.44

76.2%

72.1%

76.9%

71.1%

80.1%

73.7%

87.2%

12

27.4%

23.3%

96.1%

19.89

69.9%

96.8%

20.59

86.2%

79.7%

69.2%

47.6%

86.7%

80.7%

90.8%

10

21.8%

18.7%

93.2%

17.93

63.9%

95.9%

21.98

72.4%

75.7%

60.5%

67.1%

67.5%

80.3%

88.0%

21

24.9%

38.3%

97.6%

17.84

76.8%

95.2%

18.85

71.9%

69.9%

44.1%

59.9%

87.2%

83.2%

85.6%

8

13.0%

12.7%

99.1%

16.67

77.5%

95.4%

21.87

82.5%

80.0%

42.4%

38.8%

72.6%

94.1%

84.5%

11

30.6%

20.1%

94.1%

11.90

60.2%

94.0%

19.30

84.8%

74.1%

50.0%

52.8%

74.3%

67.9%

80.6%

2

5.9%

3.6%

93.2%

16.88

77.4%

95.4%

19.33

73.1%

68.7%

57.6%

53.8%

77.8%

81.8%

72.8%

1

18.6%

4.5%

94.3%

21.27

61.4%

95.4%

20.94

77.7%

68.1%

59.6%

54.5%

77.6%

78.2%

83.7%

17

32.6%

19.6%

94.5%

14.23

70.7%

93.8%

19.13

80.4%

61.4%

63.0%

46.4%

64.6%

87.5%

87.5%

10

26.0%

15.5%

96.1%

16.84

73.2%

96.5%

18.78

85.9%

61.3%

62.8%

46.9%

73.6%

73.0%

80.8%

7

17.0%

12.3%

96.5%

17.78

76.9%

96.2%

21.50

73.7%

61.0%

35.5%

44.2%

74.2%

73.6%

87.9%

35

45.0%

37.3%

92.2%

18.36

59.0%

96.3%

20.21

73.5%

70.3%

50.8%

56.9%

73.4%

81.6%

84.4%

0

0.8%

0.0%

90.5%

10.37

85.7%

94.3%

18.09

68.3%

57.5%

54.2%

35.9%

79.0%

84.3%

76.6%

6

14.0%

6.3%

94.4%

15.62

64.4%

96.6%

19.04

67.0%

63.9%

50.4%

54.0%

59.0%

78.9%

83.6%

5

0.0%

3.1%

90.8%

15.94

69.4%

96.5%

19.08

73.2%

61.3%

50.0%

49.0%

62.8%

81.1%

82.7%

2

4.2%

3.3%

95.6%

18.80

21.2%

96.3%

20.23

71.3%

68.8%

54.6%

48.4%

79.2%

85.3%

84.9%

3

29.1%

22.9%

91.2%

15.38

77.6%

95.3%

21.24

61.5%

59.9%

51.9%

54.8%

70.9%

84.4%

78.5%

8

25.1%

10.0%

94.6%

17.33

70.2%

94.1%

20.29

68.0%

70.2%

44.3%

53.1%

73.2%

84.0%

87.4%

40

43.3%

31.9%

94.2%

10.51

57.5%

96.3%

19.46

66.4%

47.6%

45.8%

58.9%

69.6%

82.4%

70.3%

2

7.2%

0.0%

98.0%

17.29

46.9%

96.4%

20.04

68.3%

63.3%

47.8%

53.6%

66.3%

82.0%

81.8%

15

20.0%

23.6%

90.7%

17.48

48.1%

94.4%

18.27

73.3%

60.4%

44.1%

41.4%

70.6%

78.4%

79.8%

9

33.8%

11.4%

93.1%

17.18

61.4%

94.9%

19.24

68.0%

67.8%

31.3%

53.0%

64.0%

80.8%

85.9%

6

15.2%

3.9%

95.7%

18.77

71.5%

96.5%

19.55

64.8%

58.1%

37.9%

47.7%

65.7%

67.1%

75.7%

16

40.8%

20.7%

94.9%

17.06

65.6%

93.8%

19.47

69.1%

62.6%

34.1%

46.9%

59.5%

70.8%

81.4%

4

20.3%

13.4%

88.5%

15.46

66.8%

97.1%

21.27

63.8%

78.9%

30.4%

27.5%

85.2%

89.4%

78.5%

5

31.5%

21.6%

84.7%

14.89

57.4%

96.2%

17.78

65.2%

59.7%

43.4%

36.3%

71.8%

80.7%

71.2%

5

19.5%

5.2%

89.4%

14.12

59.6%

95.6%

17.91

58.9%

51.2%

27.2%

43.8%

75.0%

68.8%

71.8%

3

16.5%

10.0%

89.7%

19.50

75.6%

95.1%

18.23

56.4%

50.8%

26.4%

36.5%

55.6%

61.8%

73.4%

0

0.0%

0.0%

89.5%

15.45

74.0%

94.4%

17.15

48.3%

44.9%

29.6%

28.0%

63.1%

70.7%

64.5%

14

30.9%

12.3% 8.3%

94.3%

18.36

82.6%

95.7%

18.65

61.3%

39.0%

36.4%

26.3%

53.1%

56.9%

62.8%

11

30.3%

88.9%

15.51

51.1%

96.4%

17.55

61.4%

52.1%

26.9%

29.7%

61.6%

65.7%

58.8%

3

5.8%

0.6%

91.0%

19.67

67.2%

95.8%

18.34

55.8%

47.7%

22.3%

34.9%

59.3%

68.2%

71.0%

7

37.3%

6.9% 18.4%

92.4%

18.94

56.0%

94.2%

18.10

51.6%

40.3%

31.7%

27.7%

53.0%

75.9%

78.7%

15

25.4%

84.9%

13.08

61.7%

95.3%

17.27

38.1%

34.7%

30.8%

31.1%

52.3%

79.5%

63.3%

1

14.6%

0.6%

90.3%

14.75

62.2%

94.8%

19.61

49.2%

28.1%

30.6%

37.9%

56.3%

73.6%

58.4%

8

15.5%

25.1%

85.2%

17.26

64.8%

93.8%

NC

55.5%

45.1%

31.8%

24.6%

54.7%

70.0%

65.6%

11

31.0%

13.5%

77.1%

17.85

44.3%

95.4%

17.50

26.0%

52.5%

11.8%

22.4%

63.2%

75.9%

68.5%

15

16.8%

8.5%

86.8%

11.58

58.5%

96.0%

16.80

60.2%

41.0%

23.5%

6.7%

32.1%

53.2%

54.4%

5

12.7%

7.6%

92.8%

18.41

15.7%

94.5%

19.04

19.0%

57.2%

11.3%

32.3%

56.1%

69.0%

31.5%

13

26.7%

11.0%

90.0%

14.93

56.6%

95.2%

17.02

42.0%

37.6%

20.3%

23.1%

39.1%

42.6%

44.7%

7

20.5%

2.4%

75.4%

6.90

55.0%

96.3%

14.90

34.0%

31.5%

13.8%

10.3%

37.5%

71.1%

46.4%

0

0.0%

0.0%

83.2%

14.14

61.1%

93.5%

16.46

34.8%

30.0%

16.6%

13.5%

43.0%

57.8%

40.8%

9

24.7%

5.6%

**About ACT averages: Ohio did not report ACT scores for 2016-17 on the School Report Cards. Through a public-records request, Cincy obtained scores from the Ohio Department of Education; however, the department provided only scores it received from ACT. It said the scores were not for all students and should not be compared with previous years’ scores. Several schools’ scores were not provided. ***About Advanced Placement: Some schools have quit offering AP classes, replacing them with other dual-credit options. Data anomalies exist for some districts on Ohio report cards, and the Department of Education says there could be an issue with how the student data-reporting system is flowing the information onto the report cards. w w w.

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49

District

Per-Pupil Spending (District)

State Performance Index Grade

Attendance Rate

GILBERT A. DATER HIGH SCHOOL

Cincinnati City

1,189

$10,367

0 out of 12

46

13

F

96.6%

CINCINNATI COLLEGE PREPARATORY ACADEMY

Cincinnati College Preparatory Academy

954

$6,059

1 out of 23

54.7

23

D

94.4%

MOUNT AUBURN INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY

Mount Auburn International Academy

427

$8,714

0 out of 23

48.5

16

F

90.2%

HUGHES STEM HIGH SCHOOL

Cincinnati City

890

$10,367

0 out of 12

42.4

9

F

92.9%

NORTH COLLEGE HILL HIGH SCHOOL

North College Hill City

370

$6,629

0 out of 7

51.8

20

D

92.8%

SHRODER PAIDEIA HIGH SCHOOL

Cincinnati City

764

$10,367

0 out of 12

45

12

F

96.8%

LOCKLAND HIGH SCHOOL

Lockland Local

142

$9,995

0 out of 7

50.9

19

D

91.7%

MOUNT HEALTHY HIGH SCHOOL

Mount Healthy City

792

$7,837

0 out of 9

42.7

9

F

89.9%

AIKEN HIGH SCHOOL

Cincinnati City

699

$10,367

0 out of 12

41.6

8

F

98.1%

OYLER SCHOOL

Cincinnati City

634

$10,367

1 out of 23

53.2

21

D

98.4%

Rank

Research by Bill Ferguson, Jr. 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 UR UR UR UR

Number of State Standards Met

High School* (2016-17 data except where noted)

Enrollment

(continued)

State Percentile (Among High Schools)

Southwest Ohio Public and Community Charter High Schools

School Performance Index Score

Best SCHOOLS

RIVERVIEW EAST ACADEMY

Cincinnati City

591

$10,367

0 out of 22

48.9

17

F

98.2%

WITHROW UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL

Cincinnati City

1,275

$10,367

0 out of 13

41.1

7

F

96.9%

WESTERN HILLS UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL

Cincinnati City

1,012

$10,367

0 out of 12

36.8

4

F

95.6%

ROBERT A. TAFT INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY HIGH SCHOOL

Cincinnati City

641

$10,367

0 out of 12

34.3

2

F

93.8%

WOODWARD CAREER TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL

Cincinnati City

920

$10,367

0 out of 12

34.4

2

F

90.5%

VIRTUAL HIGH SCHOOL

Cincinnati City

526

$10,367

0 out of 10

39.2

6

F

94.2%

CINCINNATI LEARNING SCHOOLS

Cincinnati Learning Schools

223

$9,065

0 out of 13

44

10

F

88.9%

CINCINNATI TECHNOLOGY ACADEMY

Cincinnati Technology Academy

161

$8,148

0 out of 13

41.9

8

F

84.8%

SUMMIT ACADEMY SECONDARY SCHOOL-MIDDLETOWN

Summit Academy Secondary School - Middletown

110

$5,923

0 out of 11

44.7

12

F

88.7%

SUMMIT ACADEMY TRANSITION HIGH SCHOOL-CINCINNATI

Summit Academy Transition High School-Cincinnati

76

$6,086

0 out of 5

41.3

7

F

90.2%

Rank

High School (2016-17 data)

District

Enrollment

Per-Pupil Spending (District)

State Percentile (Among High Schools)

Attendance Rate

4-Year Graduation Rate (Class of 2017)

Student/ Teacher Ratio

*All school buildings are listed by the state as enrolling 12th-graders. These can be traditional 9-12 schools, such as regular public high schools, or K-12, many of which are community schools.

NC — Not calculated or not reported (unranked schools had incomplete data) UR — Unranked

1

HIGHLANDS HIGH SCHOOL

Fort Thomas Independent

996

$15,682

99

97.1%

98.8%

17.79

2

BEECHWOOD HIGH SCHOOL

Beechwood Independent

650

$15,308

98

96.3%

97.2%

18.06

3

WALTON-VERONA HIGH SCHOOL

Walton-Verona Independent

527

$12,815

96

95.4%

97.6%

15.97

4

CONNER HIGH SCHOOL

Boone County

1,393

$12,925

89

95.0%

97.4%

15.65

5

LARRY A. RYLE HIGH SCHOOL

Boone County

1,800

$12,925

90

95.2%

95.2%

16.51

6

CAMPBELL COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL

Campbell County

1,498

$13,441

86

95.0%

99.2%

18.05

7

LUDLOW HIGH SCHOOL

Ludlow Independent

368

$14,509

85

94.2%

95.2%

13.63

8

RANDALL K. COOPER HIGH SCHOOL

Boone County

1,307

$12,925

83

95.1%

93.8%

16.76

9

BOONE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL

Boone County

1,321

$12,925

74

94.3%

95.1%

14.84

10

SIMON KENTON HIGH SCHOOL

Kenton County

1,768

$12,224

73

95.1%

91.7%

20.09

11

DIXIE HEIGHTS HIGH SCHOOL

Kenton County

1,417

$12,224

54

94.0%

93.4%

20.54

12

SCOTT HIGH SCHOOL

Kenton County

1,034

$12,224

68

94.3%

89.2%

21.54

13

BELLEVUE HIGH SCHOOL

Bellevue Independent

362

$13,514

50

95.2%

98.3%

15.74

14

DAYTON HIGH SCHOOL

Dayton Independent

342

$14,080

55

93.0%

94.1%

11.79

15

LLOYD HIGH SCHOOL

Erlanger-Elsmere Independent

572

$13,534

20

93.8%

95.5%

14.67

16

NEWPORT HIGH SCHOOL

Newport Independent

613

$17,991

7

92.9%

91.4%

10.95

17

HOLMES HIGH SCHOOL

Covington Independent

773

$17,947

4

94.1%

86.6%

12.67

UR

SILVER GROVE SCHOOL

Silver Grove Independent

163

$18,126

1

94.0%

93.8%

8.58

Kentucky Public High Schools Research by Bill Ferguson, Jr.

NC — Not calculated UR — Unranked

50

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High School English I EOC at or above Proficient

High School English II EOC at or above Proficient

High School Algebra I or Math I EOC at or above Proficient

High School Biology EOC at or above Proficient

High School Government EOC at or above Proficient

High School History EOC at or above Proficient

Number of Advanced Placement Classes***

% of Students Taking AP Test***

17.05

39.3%

35.8%

15.9%

7.5%

39.7%

75.0%

57.0%

5

22.0%

6.6%

99.7%

15.71

44.0%

24.0%

12.1%

3.5%

43.2%

87.5%

76.2%

0

0.0%

0.0%

% Scoring 3 or Higher on AP Test***

Teacher Attendance Rate 95.2%

15.2%

High School Geometry or Math II EOC at or above Proficient

Teachers With At Least a Master's Degree 63.2%

Average ACT Score**

Student/Teacher Ratio 17.49 20.74

4-Year Graduation Rate (Class of 2016) 77.5% 68.8% 80.0%

18.17

21.3%

97.7%

NC

42.9%

28.6%

33.3%

46.2%

38.5%

54.5%

27.3%

0

0.0%

0.0%

79.6%

13.97

63.9%

96.3%

15.71

32.4%

33.1%

13.9%

2.4%

18.8%

71.0%

53.3%

4

12.9%

0.0%

83.0%

15.95

57.6%

94.6%

15.50

36.6%

21.1%

12.1%

15.8%

23.5%

43.1%

40.8%

0

0.0%

0.0%

78.0%

16.61

56.5%

94.4%

16.41

35.2%

28.9%

8.9%

5.9%

27.9%

65.7%

52.3%

10

47.3%

1.2%

74.5%

14.79

38.8%

97.4%

17.33

46.6%

37.7%

12.8%

6.2%

24.6%

46.7%

29.7%

0

0.0%

0.0%

79.1%

18.08

52.9%

91.9%

16.69

32.9%

25.6%

22.6%

7.9%

29.1%

63.4%

51.5%

2

4.6%

0.4%

69.3%

13.31

62.9%

96.0%

15.05

32.8%

26.7%

9.6%

3.0%

23.3%

57.0%

36.4%

9

25.2%

1.3%

55.2%

14.74

62.8%

95.9%

14.41

18.0%

11.8%

21.4%

8.3%

10.3%

24.4%

36.7%

6

4.4%

0.7%

51.8%

15.93

55.5%

93.6%

16.03

39.7%

25.5%

17.7%

4.3%

24.8%

28.6%

27.8%

3

10.8%

0.0% 0.0%

72.2%

16.14

69.6%

94.9%

14.77

23.4%

18.7%

9.6%

4.7%

5.9%

53.1%

30.8%

0

0.2%

72.8%

13.32

55.3%

94.9%

14.25

21.1%

15.1%

6.3%

4.3%

14.1%

43.6%

29.5%

0

4.1%

0.9%

77.0%

14.06

58.3%

95.7%

15.06

18.5%

13.1%

7.1%

3.6%

23.0%

29.4%

26.3%

4

12.3%

0.8%

66.3%

13.33

50.7%

95.1%

14.67

21.1%

12.8%

6.3%

2.9%

14.4%

31.5%

19.9%

3

4.4%

0.6%

19.5%

30.94

94.1%

92.1%

14.45

21.5%

10.3%

5.3%

5.5%

14.3%

18.5%

29.6%

0

2.0%

1.0%

58.8%

31.86

NC

100.0%

14.14

12.0%

23.3%

14.0%

11.8%

3.3%

46.7%

23.8%

0

0.0%

0.0%

NC

23.00

14.3%

98.9%

NC

29.4%

38.5%

15.8%

0.0%

23.8%

NC

23.1%

0

0.0%

0.0%

NC

5.64

33.3%

94.6%

NC

13.0%

33.3%

4.2%

17.4%

28.0%

NC

47.6%

0

0.0%

0.0%

68.0%

6.79

41.8%

95.2%

NC

15.6%

20.0%

7.7%

NC

NC

30.0%

23.1%

0

0.0%

0.0%

Teachers With At Least a Master's

Average ACT Score

11th-Grade Writing % Proficient or Better

End-of-Course Math % Proficient or Better (Grades 9-12)

End-of-Course Reading % Proficient or Better (Grades 9-12)

End-of-Course Science % Proficient or Better (Grades 9-12)

End-of-Course Social Studies % Proficient or Better (Grades 9-12)

Number of Advanced Placement Classes

Advanced Placement Test Takers

% of AP Exams With a Score of 3 or Above

**About ACT averages: Ohio did not report ACT scores for 2016-17 on the School Report Cards. Through a public-records request, Cincy obtained scores from the Ohio Department of Education; however, the department provided only scores it received from ACT. It said the scores were not for all students and should not be compared with previous years’ scores. Several schools’ scores were not provided. ***About Advanced Placement: Some schools have quit offering AP classes, replacing them with other dual-credit options. Data anomalies exist for some districts on Ohio report cards, and the Department of Education says there could be an issue with how the student data-reporting system is flowing the information onto the report cards.

50.7%

24.3

87.5%

67.6%

81.3%

78.0%

82.7%

37

599

68.9%

56.4%

25.3

72.3%

62.0%

83.5%

78.8%

91.2%

16

215

51.8%

60.0%

21.7

79.1%

67.1%

75.6%

62.4%

78.5%

1

NC

NC

57.5%

21.1

59.5%

60.5%

66.1%

59.8%

67.6%

16

335

58.3%

58.4%

22.2

76.6%

52.4%

67.1%

49.5%

73.3%

26

505

63.0%

54.8%

21.8

73.0%

43.4%

69.0%

54.8%

69.2%

23

539

53.6%

35.5%

19.2

86.8%

31.5%

67.3%

59.6%

62.7%

0

0

0

47.5%

21.4

71.4%

42.2%

63.9%

46.8%

75.1%

25

393

55.5%

64.4%

20.2

67.0%

45.2%

52.5%

44.7%

72.2%

9

117

73.2%

59.1%

21.5

60.1%

47.6%

61.6%

52.1%

68.6%

14

310

63.4%

64.1%

21.2

51.8%

42.0%

55.7%

46.8%

65.2%

17

327

74.7%

48.6%

20.4

59.7%

37.7%

52.8%

53.9%

60.2%

7

77

55.1%

54.2%

19.1

52.5%

36.1%

54.5%

39.7%

64.7%

2

NC

NC

41.4%

20.3

68.5%

25.3%

58.2%

48.1%

47.2%

0

0

0

53.3%

19.3

66.2%

22.8%

52.7%

34.5%

37.8%

6

109

37.2%

50.0%

17.2

43.0%

37.9%

34.3%

24.0%

48.3%

0

0

0

47.3%

17.1

38.2%

30.7%

37.2%

17.0%

32.1%

4

128

7.0%

28.6%

NC

NC

0%

NC

NC

10.0%

0

0

0

w w w.

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51

Best SCHOOLS

Honorable Mentions Enrollment School

We’ve named the overall top seven in Ohio and top three in Kentucky, but that doesn’t mean other local schools aren’t great as well. That’s why we’ve compiled the top lists—from both Ohio and Kentucky—in four other categories: Student/Teacher Ratio, Four-Year Graduation Rate, Attendance Rate and Enrollment. While schools that did well in the following categories tended to do well overall, these top lists also contain plenty of surprises. Bill Ferguson Jr., who also puts together our Rating the Burbs project annually, collected and analyzed the data for this feature.

Enrollment

Attendance rate School

Rate

1 William Mason High School

3,467

1 Oyler School

98.4%

2 Walnut Hills High School

2,840

2 Riverview East Academy

98.2%

3 Lakota East High School

2,414

3 Aiken High School

98.1%

4 Oak Hills High School

2,209

4 Clark Montessori High School

97.7%

5 Lakota West High School

2,192

5 James N. Gamble Montessori High School

97.5%

6 Fairfield High School

1,874

5 Walnut Hills High School

97.5%

7 Milford Senior High School

1,849

7 Highlands High School

97.1%

8 Hamilton High School

1,812

7 School For Creative & Performing Arts High School 97.1%

9 Larry A. Ryle High School

1,800

9 Lakota West High School

96.9%

10 Springboro High School

1,797

9 Withrow University High School

96.9%

4-year graduation rate School

1 Walnut Hills High School

Rate

100.0%

2 Campbell County High School

99.2%

Student/teacher ratio School

1 Summit Academy Secondary School-Middletown

Ratio

5.64

2 Summit Academy Transition High School-Cincinnati 6.79

3 School For Creative & Performing Arts High School 99.1%

3 New Miami High School

6.90

4 Highlands High School

98.8%

4 Silver Grove School

8.58

4 Wyoming High School

98.8%

5 Reading Community High School

10.37

6 Bellevue High School

98.3%

6 Madison High School

10.51

7 Ross High School

98.1%

7 Newport High School

10.95

8 Taylor High School

98.0%

8 Indian Hill High School

11.41

9 Bellbrook High School

97.7%

9 James N. Gamble Montessori High School

11.58

10 Goshen High School

97.6%

10 Dayton High School

11.79

10 Mariemont High School

97.6%

11 Bethel-Tate High School

11.90

10 Walton-Verona High School

97.6%

12 Holmes High School

12.67

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Programming the

Future

While our school list gives you great information on the raw numbers of local schools, sometimes greatness can’t be measured. That’s why we looked at four programs offered by schools to find out what they’re doing to help students be prepared for future learning and careers. Read on to learn about what local schools are doing that may not be reflected in test scores, but will certainly help students later in life.

THE SCHOOL FOR CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS Cincinnati

ELDER HIGH SCHOOL Price Hill The past four years, Elder High School has invested approximately $9.5 million in campus renovations. As the school prepares to welcome its 100th class, it continues to invest in its students’ futures by embracing academic alternatives.

For the upcoming 2018-19 school year, Elder plans to transition to a daily modified block schedule. The new schedule comes with a number of benefits that will enhance students’ education and further prepare them for life beyond graduation.

The modified block schedule is based on a seven-period day, however it will consist of three primary schedules throughout the week involving seven periods, four periods and three periods with built in flex time.

This flex time, according to Kurt Ruffing, principal of Elder High School, will provide more space in students’ schedules for activities like school-wide and class masses, standardized test prep seminars, college and career planning, motivational speakers, club meetings and pep rallies.

A block schedule will also allow time

for more college dual credit courses. Elder High School will now offer the following: Biology, Physics 1, Intro to Engineering, Engineering Models, Economics, Business Analytics 1 and 2, Government, World History and Intro to Sports Management.

Another opportunity through the block schedule is a partnership with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) located in Western Hills. Students who have an interest in a career as an electrician will have the opportunity to complete one year of electrical apprenticeship while attending Elder.

“The school endeavors to prepare students to be lifelong seekers of both knowledge and skills, and to be followings of Jesus Christ in word and deed,” says Ruffing.

– Karina Baffa

The School for Creative and Performing Arts, a gem within Cincinnati Public Schools, is no stranger to breeding success.

In a testament of SCPA’s core values, “we have achieved a 100 percent graduation rate, with 90 percent of our graduates matriculating to college, with $12.5 million in college aid earned,” says Teresa SummeHaas, the external relations officer.

While SCPA students have found success within the classroom, they are also finding it outside their regular classes. SCPA implemented its Summer Opera Technical Theater Apprenticeship Program in conjunction with the Cincinnati Opera in 2013.

The program, in its sixth year, “pairs our high school students with professionals from the Opera and International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 5 to gain invaluable behind-thescenes theater work experience,” says Summe-Haas. “This summer apprenticeship program gives SCPA Technical Theatre majors the chance to work and learn alongside professional stage managers, set, lighting, costume and prop designers from the Cincinnati Opera.”

Fifty students have participated in the program in which they earned a paycheck and irreplaceable on-the-job experience.

Angela Powell Walker, SCPA’s artistic director, says that the program “affords our students an opportunity to be seriousminded about their career aspirations in technical theater, and to see for themselves that the technical theater profession is a viable career path.”

– Erin Gardner w w w.

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Best SCHOOLS SETON HIGH SCHOOL Price Hill

WINTON WOODS CITY SCHOOLS Forest Park, Greenhills and Springfield Township Winton Woods City Schools is a “New Tech Network” district as well as a project-based learning district. These programs give students from preschool to 12th grade a hands-on learning approach incomparable to others.

Project-based learning engages students by beginning each new unit of study with a complex and authentic task assigned, in turn resulting in peer-to-peer collaboration and critical thinking about a realworld problem. “Our innovative approach to education is unique because [Ohio’s Learning Standard] are embedded in projects for every student in every grade,” s a y s C o r i n a D e n n y, community and public engagement coordinator for Winton Woods City School District.

The district began to practice project-based learning in the 2010-11 school year at the Academy of Global Studies, a school within Winton Woods High School. The first graduating class of the New Tech Network in 2015 was a clear indication of project-based learning’s success. “PBL 54

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[project-based learning] fosters a student’s creativity, inherent drive to learn, critical thinking skills all while mastering subject content and much more,” Denny says.

Winton Woods City Schools is currently in the process of designing two entirely new campuses that will be specifically for project-based learning. Located in Forest Park, the first campus is expected to open in August of 2020 and will house students in grades seven through 12. The second campus, expected to open in March of 2021, will be located in Greenhills for students in kindergarten through sixth grade.

The brand-new campuses will include student and teacher collaborate common spaces, large combined classrooms, maker space, distributed dining, an outdoor theater and a community commons area.

- Karina Baffa

Seton High School cares about its students, and its shows that by having an exclusive program between Seton and TriHealth.

The Seton TriHealth Summer Employment Program between Seton and TriHealth exposes students to a variety of jobs in the medical profession and is made possible by the SC Ministry Foundation. Seton is the only high school in Cincinnati that has been given this unique opportunity through TriHealth, says Christy Schutte, the marketing and public relations coordinator for Seton.

More than 50 students at Seton High School have had the opportunity to intern at 50 different TriHealth locations throughout the area, including Good Samaritan Hospital.

Jobs range from clerical work to patient transporting to having the opportunity to watch surgeries. Students who participate in the program can earn competitive wages that may be used to offset educational expenses, choose from options for full-time or part-time schedules, develop business-critical soft skills, gain awareness of the health care field, develop professional relationships, gain confidence and receive coaching and training from a professional mentor Sophomore Ava Pieczonka, who participated in the program, says “I decided to work at TriHealth this summer because I have always been interested in the medical field. I saw this as a great opportunity to learn things early. I knew I would enjoy it, especially at TriHealth. I love it there and am blessed to be given this opportunity with such amazing people.”

– Erin Gardner

Lakota Local Schools

5572 Princeton Road, Liberty Township, OH 45011 513-874-5505 • lakotaonline.com

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ocated in southwestern Ohio, Lakota is the eighth largest school district in the state, and the largest in Butler County. Through an innovative, studentcentered approach, Lakota strives to provide an engaging and personalized educational experience centered around critical thinking, exploration and collaboration.

With two high schools including two freshmen campuses and alternative high school option through the Career Readiness Academy, four junior schools, eight elementary schools, and six early childhood schools, Lakota has grown from a rural district to a suburban district with a student population of about 16,500.

The school system has innovative spaces for collaboration and hands-on learning, including a STEAM2 or Wonder lab in every early childhood and elementary school. It’s one of just 93 districts nationwide to be accepted into the League of Innovative Schools, a national coalition of forward-thinking school districts with the mission to accelerate innovation in education through technology and research. Lakota’s Career

Readiness Academy is a unique alternative program, offering students the opportunity to earn their high school diploma in a smaller, more flexible environment that combines online learning with one-on-one instruction. An all-day kindergarten program is also available to every early learner.

EDUCATION PROFILE

Lakota Local Schools is proud to be a leader in redefining the K-12 educational experience. Our studentcentered approach to learning values critical thinking, exploration and collaboration to prepare our students for the college or career awaiting them after graduation.

www.LakotaOnline.com (513) 874-5505 lakota@lakotaonline.com w w w.

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