Historical public education information in Ohio, 2011-2015

in Ohio

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Education policy in the U.S.

Public education in the U.S.

School choice in the U.S.

Charter schools in the U.S.

Higher education in the U.S.

Glossary of education terms

Education statistics

This page contains archived information on Ohio's public education system, primarily from 2011-2012, but also from other years due to the availability of data at the time it was written. For more recent information, view Ohio's public education page.

The Ohio public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2012 Ohio had 1,740,030 students enrolled in a total of 3,714 schools in 1,079 school districts. There were 107,972 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 16 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. There was roughly one administrator for every 329 students, compared to the national average of one administrator for every 295 students. On average Ohio spent $11,223 per pupil in 2011, which ranked it 19th highest in the nation. The state's graduation rate was 81 percent in 2012.^[1][2]

State agencies[edit]

See also: Ohio Department of Education

The Ohio Department of Education manages the state's public education system. Specific responsibilities include:^[3]

• "Administering the school funding system"
• "Collecting school fiscal and performance data"
• "Developing academic standards and model curricula"
• "Administering the state achievement tests"
• "Issuing district and school report cards"
• "Administering Ohio’s voucher programs"
• "Providing professional development"
• "Licensing teachers, administrators, treasurers, superintendents and other education personnel"

The Superintendent of Public Instruction is the chief administrator of the Department of Education. The Superintendent of Public Instruction is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the State Board of Education. As of June 2015, the officeholder was Richard Ross.^[4]

The State Board of Education sets K-12 education policy in Ohio. The board's vision statement reads:^[5]

“

The State Board of Education’s vision is for all Ohio students to graduate from the PK-12 education system with the knowledge, skills and behaviors necessary to successfully continue their education and/or be workforce ready and successfully participate in the global economy as productive citizens. Ultimately, all students will graduate well prepared for success.[6]

”

The board is composed of 19 members, 11 of whom are elected by district and eight of whom are appointed to serve at large by the governor.^[5]

Regional comparison[edit]

See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how Ohio compared to three neighboring states in school year 2011-2012 with respect to number of students, schools, the number of teachers per pupil, and the number of administrators per pupil. Further comparisons between these states with respect to performance and financial information are given in other sections of this page.

Regional comparison, 2011-2012
State	Schools	Districts	Students	Teachers	Teacher/pupil ratio	Administrator/pupil ratio	Per pupil spending
Ohio	3,714	1,079	1,740,030	107,972	1:16.1	1:328.6	$11,223
Indiana	1,933	394	1,040,765	62,339	1:16.7	1:332.9	$9,370
Michigan	3,550	869	1,573,537	86,997	1:18.1	1:336.2	$10,823
Pennsylvania	3,181	784	1,771,395	124,646	1:14.2	1:334.6	$13,467
United States	98,328	17,992	49,521,669	3,103,263	16	295.2	$10,994
Sources: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Public Elementary/Secondary Education Survey", 2011-12 v.1a. National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 2. Number of operating public schools and districts, state enrollment, teacher and pupil/teacher ratio by state: School year 2011–12" U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2011,Governments Division Reports," issued May 2013

Demographics[edit]

See also: Demographic information for all students in all 50 states

The following table displays the ethnic distribution of students in Ohio as reported in the National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data for 2011-2012.^[7]

Demographic information for Ohio's K-12 public school system, 2011-2012
Ethnicity	Students	State percentage	United States percentage**
American Indian	2,442	0.14%	1.10%
Asian	30,923	1.78%	4.68%
African American	281,996	16.21%	15.68%
Hawaiian Nat./Pacific Isl.	787	0.05%	0.42%
Hispanic	66,120	3.80%	24.37%
White	1,282,799	73.72%	51.21%
Two or more	74,963	4.31%	2.54%
**Note: This is the percentage of all students in the United States that are reported to be of this ethnicity.

Enrollments by region type[edit]

See also: Student distribution by region type in the United States

A plurality of students in Ohio attended suburban schools during school year 2011-2012. More than 59 percent of the state's students attended city or suburban schools, compared to the approximately 31 percent who attended rural or town schools.

Student distribution by region type, 2011-2012 (as percents)
State	City schools	Suburban schools	Town schools	Rural schools
Ohio	19.7%	39.6%	13.5%	27.3%
Indiana	27.9%	23.2%	14.7%	34.1%
Michigan	23.8%	40.2%	11.4%	24.6%
Pennsylvania	19.2%	45.7%	12.1%	23%
U.S. average	28.9%	34%	11.6%	25.4%
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD)

Academic performance[edit]

Education terms
For more information on education policy terms, see this article.
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

NAEP scores[edit]

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Compared to three neighboring states (Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania), Ohio had the second-highest share of eighth graders who scored at or above proficient in reading in school year 2012-2013.^[8]

Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013
	Math - Grade 4	Math - Grade 8	Reading - Grade 4	Reading - Grade 8
Ohio	48%	40%	37%	39%
Indiana	52%	38%	38%	35%
Michigan	37%	30%	31%	33%
Pennsylvania	44%	42%	40%	42%
U.S. average	41%	34%	34%	34%
Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables," accessed May 13, 2014

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores[edit]

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the United States

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Ohio and surrounding states for the years 2012 and 2013.^[8][9][10]

Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores*
State	Graduation rate, 2012		Average ACT composite, 2012		Average SAT composite, 2013
	Percent	Quintile ranking**	Score	Participation rate	Score	Participation rate
Ohio	81%	Third	21.8	71%	1,635	1,63%
Indiana	86%	First	22.3	32%	1,470	70%
Michigan	76%	Fourth	20.1	100%	1,782	4%
Pennsylvania	84%	Second	22.4	18%	1,480	71%
U.S. average	80%		21.1		1,498
*Regulatory Adjusted Cohort Rate (except for Idaho, Kentucky, Oklahoma, which did not report “Regulatory Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate,” but instead used their own method of calculation). **Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally. Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express

Dropout rate[edit]

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades 9–12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Ohio was higher than the national average at 4.4 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 4.6 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.^[11]

Educational choice options[edit]

See also: School choice in Ohio

As of June 2015, school choice options in Ohio included charter schools, voucher programs, intra-district and inter-district open enrollment policies and online learning programs. In addition, about 11.26 percent of school-age children in the state attended private schools in the 2011-12 academic year, and an estimated 2.67 percent were homeschooled in school year 2012-13.

Education funding and expenditures[edit]

See also: Ohio state budget and finances

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), Ohio spent approximately 20.6 percent of its fiscal year 2012 budget on elementary and secondary education. As a share of the budget, this was up by 1.40 percentage points, or 7.3 percent, from fiscal year 2008, when the state spent 19.2 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education.^{[12][13][14][15][16]}

Comparison of financial figures for school systems
State	Percent of budget (2012)	Per pupil spending (2011)	Revenue sources (2011)
			Percent federal funds	Percent state funds	Percent local funds
Ohio	20.6%	$11,223	11.65%	44.31%	44.04%
Indiana	32.9%	$9,370	8.8%	62.12%	29.08%
Michigan	27.2%	$10,823	13.75%	55.03%	31.22%
Pennsylvania	18.4%	$13,467	12.74%	34.2%	53.06%
Sources: NASBO, "State Expenditure Report," Table 8: Elementary and Secondary Education Expenditures As a Percent of Total Expenditures U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2011,Governments Division Reports," issued May 2013

Revenue breakdowns[edit]

See also: Public school system revenues in the U.S.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system revenues in Ohio totaled approximately $23.7 billion in fiscal year 2011. The table and chart below present further detail, including revenue sources, for Ohio and surrounding states.^[17]

Revenues by source, fiscal year 2011 (amounts in thousands)
	Federal revenue	State revenue	Local revenue	Total revenue
Ohio	$2,762,051	$10,510,451	$10,446,108	$23,718,610
Indiana	$1,059,777	$7,483,801	$3,503,856	$12,047,434
Michigan	$2,677,078	$10,710,646	$6,075,517	$19,463,241
Pennsylvania	$3,469,273	$9,309,365	$14,444,802	$27,223,440
U.S. total	$74,943,767	$267,762,416	$264,550,594	$607,256,777
Source: National Center for Education Statistics

\| \n <pbars size=650x300 title="" grid=true ymin=0 ymax=100 legend colorscheme=excel> ,Federal revenue,State revenue,Local revenue Ohio,11.65,44.31,44.04 Indiana,8.80,62.12,29.08 Michigan,13.75,55.03,31.22 Pennsylvania,12.74,34.20,53.06 U.S. total,12.34,44.09,43.56 </pbars>

Public school revenues by source, fiscal year 2011 (as percents)

Expenditure breakdowns[edit]

See also: Public school system expenditures in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures in Ohio totaled approximately $23.3 billion in fiscal year 2011. The table and chart below present further detail, including expenditure types, for Ohio and surrounding states.^[17]

Expenditures by type, fiscal year 2011 (amounts in thousands)
	General expenditures**	Capital outlay	Other***	Total expenditures
Ohio	$19,673,291	$2,516,739	$1,068,376	$23,258,406
Indiana	$9,769,064	$881,151	$423,657	$11,073,872
Michigan	$16,728,164	$1,334,386	$1,269,168	$19,331,718
Pennsylvania	$23,541,287	$2,269,812	$1,477,788	$27,288,887
U.S. total	$520,577,893	$52,984,139	$29,581,293	$603,143,325
**Funds spent operating local public schools and local education agencies, including such expenses as salaries for school personnel, student transportation, school books and materials, and energy costs, but excluding capital outlay, interest on school debt, payments to private schools, and payments to public charter schools. ***Includes payments to state and local governments, payments to private schools, interest on school system indebtedness, and nonelementary-secondary expenditures, such as adult education and community services expenditures. Source: National Center for Education Statistics

\| \n <pbars size=500x300 title="" grid=true ymin=0 ymax=100 legend colorscheme=excel> ,Current expenditures,Capital outlay,Other Ohio,84.59,10.82,4.59 Indiana,88.22,7.96,3.83 Michigan,86.53,6.90,6.57 Pennsylvania,86.27,8.32,5.42 U.S. total,86.31,8.78,4.90 </pbars>

Public school expenditures, fiscal year 2011 (as percents)

Personnel salaries[edit]

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in Ohio, the average salary increased by 2.6 percent.^[19]

Estimated average salaries for teachers (in constant dollars**)
	1999-2000	2009-2010	2011-2012	2012-2013	Percent difference
Ohio	$56,626	$59,732	$57,659	$58,092	2.6%
Indiana	$57,192	$53,357	$51,357	$51,456	-10%
Michigan	$67,023	$61,867	$62,585	$61,560	-8.2%
Pennsylvania	$66,035	$63,146	$62,965	$63,521	-3.8%
U.S. average	$57,133	$58,925	$56,340	$56,383	-1.3%
**"Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis. The CPI does not account for differences in inflation rates from state to state."

Organizations[edit]

Unions[edit]

In 2012 the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas, including: resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. Ohio ranked 12th overall, or "strong," which was in the second of five tiers.^[20]

The main unions related to the Ohio school system are the Ohio Education Association (OHEA), an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA), and the Ohio Federation of Teachers, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers. For the 2003 tax period OHEA had: $50.9 million in total revenue, $46.9 million in total expenses and $43.78 million in total assets.^[21] For the 2003 tax period Ohio Federation of Teachers had: $1.11 million in total revenue, $974,268 in total expenses and $1.24 million in total assets.^[22]

List of local Ohio school unions:^[23]

• Ohio Education Association
• Ohio Federation of Teachers
• Cleveland Heights Teachers Union
• Cincinnati Federation of Teachers
• Columbus Education Association
• Southwestern Ohio Education Association
• Akron Education Association

Government sector lobbying[edit]

See also: Ohio government sector lobbying

The main education government sector lobbying organization is the Ohio School Boards Association.

Transparency[edit]

In the 2007-2008 General Assembly regular session, the legislature approved House Bill 420, which proposed making statewide expenditures available on an online spending database.^[24]

Studies and reports[edit]

State Budget Solutions education study[edit]

See also: State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.

See also[edit]

• Public education in Ohio
• Ohio
• Education Policy in the U.S.

Footnotes[edit]

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