Highland once again earns five stars on its state report card

Sept. 21 school board meeting

by Melissa Martin

For the fifth consecutive year, the Highland Local School District has earned the highest overall rating of five stars on this year’s Ohio state report card.

According to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, which issued the report cards for all Ohio school districts Sept. 15, a five-star rating means the district is significantly exceeding state standards in nearly all categories.

Since 2022, the ODEW has measured school district performance using star ratings on a scale of 1 to 5 instead of the former A-to-F grading system.

The report cards measure and analyze school district performance for the 2025-2026 school year in six areas: achievement, progress, early literacy, gap closing and graduation. The final component – college, career, workforce and military readiness – took effect in the 2025-2026 school year and measures how well the graduating class is prepared for postsecondary education, entering the workforce or joining the armed forces.

The district earned an overall score of five stars in all categories, except for the progress category, in which it received four stars overall.

According to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, more than 90% of districts statewide earned overall ratings of three stars or higher on this year’s report cards, which means they met or exceeded state expectations for performance.

Also noteworthy is that this marks the third consecutive year of declining chronic absenteeism, which state officials say has reached its lowest mark since before the pandemic.

From 2021-2022 to this past school year, chronic absenteeism has decreased by 6.3%. Over the past year alone, chronic absenteeism dropped from 25.1% to 23.9% throughout the state.

State officials also noted that math achievement scores reached their highest levels statewide in five years, with proficiency showing improvement in nearly all grade levels. Proficiency in algebra and geometry also improved.

As for English language arts, proficiency dipped slightly; however, the performance index on Ohio’s State Tests in English language arts reached a five-year high.

As for the Highland Local Schools, which are home to approximately 3,386 students, Highland High School earned a five-star rating, receiving five stars in all categories. Highland Middle School and Highland Elementary School also earned an overall rating of five stars after receiving five stars in all categories except the progress category, in which both schools received three stars.

Sharon Elementary School received an overall rating of 4.5 this past school year, earning five stars in all categories except for progress, in which the school received just two stars.

The progress component is a measure of the growth students are making year to year based on their past performance.

Superintendent Catherine Aukerman said the district’s high marks demonstrate its commitment to building upon its successes this past school year and its dedication to “providing the programs, opportunities and support [its] students need and [the] community expects and deserves.”

“Year after year, our teachers, staff and students remain deeply committed to high academic standards and strong student outcomes,” Aukerman said. “We are proud to once again receive this exemplary rating and recognition from the state of Ohio. More importantly, this recognition reflects the hard work and dedication of our entire Highland community.”

The district’s total performance index score rose to 108, out of a maximum of 110.2 for the 2025-2026 school year. The performance index measures the test results of every student, not just those who score proficient or higher. Schools and districts receive points on the index for every student who takes the state tests. The higher the performance level on the state tests, the more points awarded toward the index score.

The index score is then divided by the maximum possible score. Each year, the maximum possible score is determined by the average of the highest 2% performance index scores in the state.

For its performance, Highland now ranks 18th out of 607 school districts in Ohio, which places the district in the top 2.9% of schools in the state, and the highest-rated district in Medina County.