No long after several Ohio colleges appeared on the publication's best national universities list, hundreds of Ohio schools appear in U.S. News & World Report's 2027 statewide rankings of the best elementary and middle schools.
The rankings compare public schools within each state. U.S. News evaluated schools using math and reading assessment results and factors measuring how well schools perform relative to their student populations.
Here are the best elementary and middle schools in Ohio and where they rank.
Spencer Center in Cincinnati tops Ohio elementary school rankings
Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students in Cincinnati rose from No. 8 last yearto claim the top spot among Ohio elementary schools, dethroning Miller City Elementary School as No. 1. The public school serves kids in grades 3-12.
The school enrolls 336 students. According to U.S. News, 89% of students scored at or above proficiency in math and 88% did so in reading. The student-teacher ratio is 12:1, which is better than that of the district.
Ohio's top 10 elementary schools for 2027, per U.S. News & World Report
These are the top 10 elementary schools that earned a spot on the list:
- Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students, Cincinnati
- Grace L. Roxbury Elementary School, Solon
- Parkside Elementary School, Solon
- Wells Academy, Steubenville
- Dorothy E. Lewis Elementary School, Solon
- Deer Run Elementary School, Dublin
- Gurney Elementary School, Chagrin Falls
- Montgomery Elementary School, Cincinnati
- Whitehouse Primary School, Whitehouse
- Kensington Intermediate Elementary School, Rocky River
Orchard Middle School ranked Ohio's top middle school
Orchard Middle School in Solon, Ohio, took the No. 1 spot among Ohio middle schools, replacing Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati. Marion Local Elementary School finished second, followed by Miller City Middle School at No. 3.
The school serves grades 5 and 6 and enrolls 699 students, and 93% of Orchard Middle School students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 91% scored at or above that level for reading, according to U.S. News. The student-teacher ratio is 18:1, which is the same as that of the district.
Ohio's top 10 middle schools for 2027
Here's the top 10 middle schools in the state, according to U.S. News & World Report:
- Orchard Middle School, Solon
- Marion Local Elementary School (K-8), Maria Stein
- Miller City Middle School, Miller City
- Fallen Timbers Middle School, Whitehouse
- Rocky River Middle School, Rocky River
- Fort Loramie Junior-Senior High School, Fort Loramie
- Versailles Middle School, Versailles
- Chagrin Falls Middle School, Chagrin Falls
- Walnut Hills High School, Cincinnati (grades 7-17)
- New Bremen High School, New Bremen (grades 7-12)
5 best-ranked charter elementary schools in Ohio
- Menlo Park Academy, Cleveland
- Columbus Preparatory Academy, Columbus
- Cornerstone Academy Community School, Westerville
- Cincinnati Classical Academy, Cincinnati
- Pathway School of Discovery, Dayton
Top-ranked charter middle schools in Ohio
- Patriot Preparatory Academy, Columbus
- Pathway School of Discovery, Dayton
- Cornerstone Academy Community School, Westerville
- Pinnacle Academy, Euclid
- Village Preparatory School Cliffs, Cleveland
How U.S. News ranked Ohio schools
U.S. News based the rankings on math and reading assessment performance and how schools performed compared with expectations given factors such as economic disadvantage and demographics. Schools received scores on a 100-point scale relative to other schools in their state.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio has new top-ranked elementary and middle schools, U.S. News says
