This morning, the Ohio Department of Education released its annual school report cards based on results from the 2022-23 school year. This year’s iteration makes clear that the impacts of the pandemic on student learning are still being felt, especially for students from less advantaged backgrounds. As usual, the report card also includes user-friendly ratings that assist parents and citizens who seek information about the quality of schools in their community. For the first time since 2019, this year’s report card features an overall rating—on a scale of one to five stars—that summarizes the performance of each district and school.
“All Ohio students deserve to attend schools that unlock their full potential,” said Aaron Churchill, Ohio Research Director for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. “Through a user-friendly overall rating, this year’s report card shines a light on the many excellent public school options available to parents. It also reveals struggling schools that require significant help and intervention to ensure students receive the education they need to succeed.”
Table 1: Overall ratings for Ohio public schools, 2022-23
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State assessment results from the 2022-23 school year indicate a mixed picture of post-pandemic academic recovery. Ohio students on average have generally recovered in reading, but progress remains sluggish in mathematics with students still significantly behind pre-pandemic levels. Meanwhile, chronic absenteeism data indicate that too many students are missing large amounts of class time. As the chart below indicates, chronic absenteeism soared in 2020-21 and 2021-22, and remains at alarmingly high levels in many Ohio districts.
Table 2: Chronic absenteeism rates statewide and selected urban districts, 2018-19 to 2022-23
“If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s just how crucial it is for students to be in the classroom,” said Churchill. “Unfortunately, too many students are still missing valuable instructional time that can help them catch up. Parents, communities, and schools need to work together to address chronic absenteeism. Getting back to a clear expectation that students are in school every day, five days a week, is the first step in combatting this attendance crisis.”
