Ohio
Ohio operates one of the most complex and politically contentious school funding systems in the nation. The DeRolph v. State series of Ohio Supreme Court rulings (1997–2002) found the school funding system unconstitutional four times, yet the legislature repeatedly failed to substantially reform it until the Cupp-Patterson Fair School Funding Plan was enacted in 2021 — a multi-year phase-in of a formula overhaul targeting adequacy and equity. Ohio has an expansive charter sector concentrated in major urban areas (Columbus, Cleveland, Akron, Dayton), where decades of poor-performing charter operators led to significant sector reforms in 2015. Cleveland Metropolitan School District has operated under a mayoral control model and a "Transformation Plan" that incorporated aggressive school closures and new school openings. The Ohio State Tests (OST) serve as the primary accountability assessment.
| District | Schools | Students | Per-Pupil | Grad Rate | Free Lunch | Opp. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large Districts — 10,000+ Students | ||||||
| Columbus City Schools District | 117 | 45K | $22,434↑31% | 72.2%↓12% | — | 35 |
| Cincinnati Public Schools | 65 | 36K | $20,321↑19% | 82.3% | 5.4%↓86% | 32 |
| Cleveland Municipal | 95 | 34K | $24,137↑41% | 78.6% | — | 37 |
| Olentangy Local | 27 | 23K | $16,456 | 95.7%↑16% | 6.9%↓82% | 39 |
| Toledo City | 57 | 22K | $20,157↑18% | 65.6%↓20% | 9.4%↓75% | 45 |
| South-Western City | 34 | 22K | $18,557↑8% | 86.8%↑6% | 53.6%↑40% | 33 |
| Akron City | 48 | 20K | $21,095↑23% | 85.1% | — | 39 |
| Lakota Local | 20 | 17K | $12,772↓25% | 95.0%↑15% | 20.9%↓45% | 45 |
| Dublin City | 23 | 16K | $17,437 | 93.6%↑14% | 14.3%↓63% | 61 |
| Hilliard City | 24 | 16K | $15,401↓10% | 90.8%↑10% | 24.8%↓35% | — |
| Ohio Virtual Academy | 1 | 14K | $7,754↓55% | 51.0%↓38% | — | — |
| Westerville City | 22 | 14K | $17,511 | 84.7% | 32.6%↓15% | 41 |
| Dayton City | 27 | 11K | $23,170↑35% | 64.3%↓22% | — | 37 |
| Pickerington Local | 16 | 11K | $13,971↓18% | 96.0%↑17% | 28.0%↓27% | 45 |
| Worthington City | 19 | 11K | $17,549 | 87.1%↑6% | 22.3%↓42% | 50 |
| Mason City | 4 | 10K | $14,024↓18% | 95.0%↑15% | 9.0%↓77% | — |
| Medium Districts — 1,000–9,999 Students | ||||||
| Fairfield City | 10 | 9,647 | $12,086↓29% | 89.0%↑8% | 45.1%↑18% | 44 |
| Hamilton City | 12 | 9,337 | $13,788↓19% | 77.3%↓6% | — | 41 |
| Parma City | 15 | 9,091 | $17,171 | 86.7%↑5% | 51.2%↑34% | 49 |
| Northwest Local | 11 | 8,584 | $14,893↓13% | 80.7% | 34.6%↓10% | 40 |
| Centerville City | 12 | 8,256 | $15,768↓8% | 90.0%↑9% | 17.0%↓55% | 48 |
| Beavercreek City | 11 | 7,994 | $14,571↓15% | 94.0%↑14% | 13.7%↓64% | 47 |
| West Clermont Local | 9 | 7,965 | $13,479↓21% | 85.0% | 34.4%↓10% | 46 |
| Gahanna-Jefferson City | 12 | 7,961 | $16,816 | 90.0%↑9% | 24.1%↓37% | 46 |
| Canton City | 18 | 7,893 | $20,424↑19% | 76.7%↓7% | 4.5%↓88% | 41 |
| Kettering City School District | 13 | 7,766 | $16,714 | 83.0% | 38.3% | 38 |
| Sylvania Schools | 13 | 7,661 | $13,718↓20% | 90.7%↑10% | 21.4%↓44% | 60 |
| Oak Hills Local | 9 | 7,571 | $12,869↓25% | 87.0%↑6% | 18.1%↓53% | 50 |
| Willoughby-Eastlake City | 14 | 7,196 | $15,989↓7% | 88.9%↑8% | 37.5% | 46 |
| Mentor Exempted Village | 12 | 7,194 | $16,365 | 94.0%↑14% | 19.1%↓50% | 43 |
| Forest Hills Local | 9 | 7,118 | $14,336↓16% | 97.6%↑19% | 11.0%↓71% | 31 |
| Springfield City School District | 17 | 7,099 | $16,864 | 68.4%↓17% | — | 40 |
| Washington Local | 11 | 6,877 | $19,325↑13% | 88.0%↑7% | 44.2%↑15% | 45 |
| Upper Arlington City | 10 | 6,455 | $26,995↑58% | 94.0%↑14% | 3.7%↓90% | 47 |
| Milford Exempted Village | 10 | 6,321 | $13,930↓19% | 95.0%↑15% | 17.2%↓55% | 45 |
| Lancaster City | 10 | 6,263 | $16,149↓6% | 90.0%↑9% | 55.4%↑45% | — |
| Groveport Madison Local | 11 | 6,242 | $15,797↓8% | 88.0%↑7% | 66.6%↑74% | 42 |
| Brunswick City | 10 | 6,236 | $14,062↓18% | 96.0%↑17% | 19.7%↓48% | 42 |
| Medina City SD | 11 | 6,172 | $15,031↓12% | 97.0%↑18% | 16.7%↓56% | 48 |
| Middletown City | 10 | 6,123 | $15,397↓10% | 79.0% | — | 39 |
| Springboro Community City | 6 | 6,089 | $10,422↓39% | 98.0%↑19% | 4.8%↓88% | 52 |
| Plain Local | 9 | 5,977 | $13,010↓24% | 86.0% | 42.5%↑11% | 41 |
| Jackson Local | 6 | 5,973 | $12,088↓29% | 90.0%↑9% | 17.2%↓55% | 38 |
| Lorain City | 15 | 5,935 | $19,504↑14% | 69.8%↓15% | — | 36 |
| Princeton City | 11 | 5,909 | $17,767 | 78.6% | 41.3%↑8% | 38 |
| Newark City | 14 | 5,907 | $15,135↓12% | 81.3% | 54.0%↑41% | 38 |
| Huber Heights City | 9 | 5,903 | $14,043↓18% | 83.0% | 50.8%↑33% | 37 |
| Elyria City Schools | 10 | 5,804 | $21,360↑25% | 81.0% | 61.3%↑60% | 41 |
| Alternative Education Academy | 1 | 5,783 | $8,694↓49% | 21.0%↓74% | — | 51 |
| Strongsville City | 9 | 5,695 | $14,943↓13% | 89.0%↑8% | 17.1%↓55% | 49 |