Bright Local

Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

Mowrystown, Ohio - 3 schools

An equity score of 62/100 ranks Bright Local #162 of 806 districts in Ohio (state average 46). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $14,558 per pupil, Bright Local ranks #370 of 966 Ohio districts by per-pupil spending (Ohio districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

727
Total Enrollment
3
Schools
$14,558
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Bright Local operates 3 public schools serving 727 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Ohio. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 combined, 1 high, 1 middle schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Highland County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,558 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 966 Ohio districts by per-pupil spending. See how Ohio compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 21.6% local, 55.3% state, and 23.1% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 62/100, ranked #162 of 806 in Ohio against a state average of 46, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

a 185.3:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 21.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 94.7% White, 1.3% Hispanic or Latino, 0.2% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Bright Elementary School, with a diversity index of 11.4/100.

Its largest campus is Bright Elementary School, enrolling 432 students (60% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Whiteoak Junior High School, at 113 students, a 4x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Bright Elementary School accounts for 59.4% of all Bright Local student enrollment

That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Bright Local a distant remainder — means Bright Local-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Bright Local school enrollment varies 3.8× across entities

Bright Local school enrollment ranges from 113 students (lowest) to 432 students (highest), a spread of 319 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Bright Local has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 56.3% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch

free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system

Bright Local student-counselor ratio is 185:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)

student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Bright Local chronic absenteeism rate is 21.5% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism

chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Bright Local is typically wider than the Bright Local-aggregate figure suggests.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

23.1%
Federal
55.3%
State
21.6%
Local

Funding Equity

62
Equity Score
162 / 806
State Rank
46
State Average

This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 3 schools in Bright Local.

White 94.7%
Hispanic or Latino 1.3%
Multiracial 3.7%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 10.1/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Bright Local's schools, below the Ohio average of 35.3.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Bright Elementary School 11.4
  2. 2 Whiteoak Junior High School 10.1
  3. 3 Whiteoak High School 8.9

Programs & Resources

185.3:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
21.5%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Bright Local

School Enrollment
Bright Elementary School
432
Whiteoak High School
174
Whiteoak Junior High School
113

How Bright Local Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Ohio districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Eastern Local Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Trimble Local Similar size Higher spending Less locally funded
Perry Local Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Eastern Local School District Similar size Higher spending Similar funding mix
Pinnacle Academy Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Bright Local's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in Ohio

Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

Columbus City Schools District
45,338 students · 118 schools · $20,324/pupil
Compare vs Bright Local →
Cincinnati Public Schools
35,585 students · 65 schools · $18,181/pupil
Compare vs Bright Local →
Cleveland Municipal
33,998 students · 95 schools · $21,661/pupil
Compare vs Bright Local →
Olentangy Local
23,281 students · 27 schools · $13,879/pupil
Compare vs Bright Local →
Toledo City
21,814 students · 57 schools · $18,515/pupil
Compare vs Bright Local →

Compare Bright Local

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Columbus City Schools District →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Bright Local?

Bright Local has 3 schools, including 1 combined, 1 high, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 727 students.

How much does Bright Local spend per student?

Bright Local spends $14,558 per student. The district has an equity score of 62/100, ranking #162 in Ohio.

What is the demographic composition of Bright Local?

Bright Local students are 94.7% White, 1.3% Hispanic or Latino, 0.2% African American, 0.2% Asian, averaged across 3 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Bright Local?

Bright Local has an equity score of 62/100, ranking #162 out of 806 districts in Ohio.