Public schools in Ohio

The NCES directory lists 3,543 public schools operating in Ohio in 2024-25; 3,471 of them reported 1,654,773 students, averaging 17.4 students per teacher, the 7th highest of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts (the mean of its schools' ratios); Tennessee did not. Its largest district is Columbus City Schools, with 46,450 students in 2024-25.

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23 · method

Schools3,4711,715 elementary, 650 middle, 924 high, 182 other
Students1,654,7733.4% of U.S. public-school students
Students per teacher17.4U.S. 15.3

Ohio has more students per teacher than the U.S. average

Ohio ranks 7th of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts, counting from the most students per teacher; below, it is shown with the states ranked just above and below it. The full ranking of all 51 is on the states page.

  1. Florida17.9
  2. Washington17.8
  3. Arizona17.5
  4. Ohio17.4
  5. Oregon17.3
  6. Alabama17.2
  7. Idaho16.9

Eight in ten larger Ohio districts spent between $11,942 and $17,967 per student

Among the 452 Ohio districts with at least 1,000 students, one in ten spent less than $11,942 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 and one in ten spent more than $17,967; the median was $14,273. Each tick below is one district: the spread shows how far apart the state's districts are, which a statewide average hides.

Current spending per student, Ohio districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23452 values from $9,189 to $33,653; ; state median $14,273.$11,942$17,967the middle eight in ten2 more above $30,000 →$5k$10k$15k$20k$25k$30kcurrent spending per studentstate median $14,273
Current spending per student, Ohio districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23452 values from $9,189 to $33,653; ; state median $14,273.$11,942$17,967the middle eight in ten2 more above $30,000 →$5k$10k$15k$20k$25k$30kcurrent spending per studentstate median $14,273
Current spending per student, Ohio districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23452 values from $9,189 to $33,653; ; state median $14,273.$11,942$17,967the middle eight in ten2 more above $30,000 →$5k$15k$25k$30kcurrent spending per studentstate median $14,273
Current spending per student, Ohio districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23452 values from $9,189 to $33,653; ; state median $14,273.$11,942$17,967the middle eight in ten2 more above $30,000 →$5k$15k$25k$30kcurrent spending per studentstate median $14,273

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: mean of school ratios from 3 to 99, schools open that year; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures over fall membership, districts with at least 1,000 students.

State test results, 2022-23

In 2022-23, 60.9% of the Ohio students tested met the state's reading standard and 54.3% its math standard. Ohio writes its own tests and sets its own standard, so these compare Ohio's districts and schools with each other, not with other states; each district and school page gives its own results beside these. Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 86.2% of 132,008 students.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2022-23 and four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students.

In the Ohio almanac

  1. 01Every school district

    Directory, 2024-25

  2. 02Largest schools

    Largest: Ohio Virtual Academy, 15,339 students (By 2024-25 enrollment)

  3. 03Fewest students per teacher

    Fewest: Fort Hayes Career Center, 3.6 students per teacher (Schools, 2024-25)

  4. 04Highest-spending districts

    Highest: East Cleveland City School District, $33,509 per student (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  5. 05Teacher salary spending by district

    Highest: Orange City School District, $147,152 of salary spending per teacher (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  6. 06Chronic absenteeism

    Lowest: Fort Recovery Elementary School, 0.4% chronically absent (EDFacts 2022-23)

  7. 07Schools by resource index

    Highest index: Toledo Technology Academy High School, 70 of 100 (CCD and CRDC)

  8. 08Districts by resource index

    Highest index: Cuyahoga Heights Local, 59.7 of 100 on average (CCD and CRDC)

Largest districts in Ohio

  1. Columbus City Schools46,450
  2. Cincinnati Public Schools34,405
  3. Cleveland Metropolitan School District33,065
  4. Olentangy Local School District22,599
  5. South Western City Schools21,873
  6. Toledo Public Schools20,744
  7. Akron Public Schools19,873
  8. Lakota Local School District17,853

Every Ohio school district, with a find box →

Source: Largest districts: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, students in the district's schools open that year.

Cities with the most public schools

  1. Columbus89,867 students221 schools
  2. Cincinnati96,638 students169 schools
  3. Cleveland57,045 students152 schools
  4. Toledo36,906 students94 schools
  5. Dayton31,320 students84 schools
  6. Akron28,460 students72 schools
  7. Youngstown15,547 students38 schools
  8. Canton17,452 students38 schools
  9. Springfield14,497 students27 schools
  10. Lorain9,259 students25 schools
  11. Westerville14,309 students23 schools
  12. Hamilton14,158 students23 schools

All cities →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: a school counts under the city in its mailing address, so a large city's count takes in suburbs that share its postal name.

Questions about Ohio's public schools

  1. How many public schools are in Ohio?
    The NCES directory lists 3,543 operating in 2024-25; 3,471 of them reported students: 1,715 elementary, 650 middle, 924 high and 182 other, enrolling 1,654,773 students (NCES Common Core of Data).
  2. What is the average student-teacher ratio in Ohio?
    17.4 students per full-time teacher in 2024-25, against 15.3 for the U.S.; the mean of school ratios for schools open that year.
  3. What is the largest school district in Ohio?
    Columbus City Schools, with 46,450 students in its schools in 2024-25 (NCES Common Core of Data).
  4. How much does Ohio spend per public-school student?
    $15,463 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, summed over its districts (NCES F-33).

Sources

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership and staff files · 2024-25

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District membership and spending · FY 2022-23

Compiled from official source data by .