Lakota Shines Again: 4.5 Stars on State Report Card for Second Straight Year

Lakota Local Schools continues to shine on Ohio’s State Report Card, earning an overall 4.5 out of five star rating for the 2024-2025 school year. This marks the second consecutive year the District has earned this high score, even while implementing new math and English language arts curriculums across grades K-12.

Lakota is one of only 24% of the 607 school districts in Ohio to receive 4.5 stars, with just 47 schools in the State earning five stars. Within this grouping of districts earning 4.5 stars, Lakota:

• Has the second highest enrollment;
• Is the third highest percentage of English language learners; 
• Is among the top half of the highest socioeconomic disadvantaged students; and 
• Is one of five other districts that have the highest general education student-to-teacher ratio.

“We are excited to see the number of Lakota schools earning 4 stars and above, with Independence and VanGorden elementaries increasing to five overall stars this year,” said Superintendent Ashley Whitely. “While not a surprise, it’s a reflection of the hard work happening in our classrooms.”

School Highlights and Rising Scores

In addition to VanGorden and Independence elementary schools earning a perfect 5-star rating overall, several other schools also saw notable improvements. 

Achievement, Progress and Gap Closing

“Our Achievement and Progress scores remained steady at four out of five stars, and gap closing earned a perfect five out of five,” added Whitely. “This is consistent with last year’s results when Lakota jumped from 3.5 to 4.5 stars overall.” Liberty and Ridge junior schools both increased their achievement scores, with Liberty earning five stars and Ridge four. Lakota is ranked in the top 21% of school districts in the Achievement category. 

Lakota ranks in the top 10% of Ohio school districts in both Progress and Gap Closing.

The Progress category measures how students improve individually, compared to the State’s expectations based on previous assessments. Independence, Union, VanGorden and Hopewell Junior schools all improved their scores, with VanGorden earning five stars.

Lakota also maintained its five-star rating in Gap Closing, which evaluates how well schools support all student subgroups. Shawnee Early Childhood School jumped two stars to earn a perfect score, and Lakota Central increased by two stars to reach three.

Early Literacy and Curriculum Impact

In the Early Literacy category, Lakota held steady with a three-star rating. Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction Lori Brown explained that the District adopted a more rigorous literacy screening tool for grades K-2 last year. “The new screening tool is the right decision for students,” she said. Next year’s report card will reflect two full years of using this consistent method.

“With last year’s curriculum adoption, it was the first year we’ve instilled a core phonics program that is consistent across all classrooms,” Brown added. “Continuing our comprehensive phonics instruction will positively impact our students’ learning.”

Preparing Students for Life After Graduation

For the first time, the report card includes a rating for College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness (CCWMR), based on data from the Class of 2024. Lakota earned two stars in this category, just shy of the criteria for three stars. Both Lakota East and West high schools earned three stars in this new measurement. 

“We’re moving in the right direction with CCWMR,” said Brown, who emphasized that progress in this area takes time. The District is expanding opportunities for students, including:

• Increasing College Credit Plus (CCP) course offerings;
• Providing counseling to help students understand CCP benefits; and
• Expanding industry credential options.

“Our decisions are based on doing what’s best for students, not just meeting the report card measurements,” Brown said.