Summary:
Ottawa has nine schools—six elementary, two middle and one high school—serving students from prekindergarten through grade 12. In 2025–26, the eight schools with All Grades IAR results averaged 61% proficient in ELA and 43% in math, compared with state rates of 56% and 40%. The median school was 59% in ELA and 38% in math. The central finding for families is that these area averages conceal sharply different results, especially in math.
Rutland Elementary School led the All Grades results, with 88% proficient in ELA and 80% in math—31 and 40 points above state rates. At the other end, Lincoln Elementary School had 39% in ELA and 29% in math, respectively 17 points below state rates; Shepherd Middle School had the lowest reported math result, 23%, or 17 points below state. Among the PK–4 schools, McKinley Elementary School stood out at 69% in ELA and 48% in math. Wallace Elementary School showed strength across grades: in eighth grade it reached 97% in ELA and 57% in math, compared with Shepherd’s 56% and 19%.
Recent changes were mixed: across the same eight schools, average ELA fell about 2 points from 2024–25 to 2025–26 while the state rate rose 3 points; average math increased about 1 point, matching the state’s gain. Wallace, Shepherd, Central and Rutland improved in both subjects, while McKinley, Lincoln and Deer Park C C Elementary School declined in both. SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking percentile also fell from 2023–24 to 2025–26 for McKinley, from 86th to 63rd, and for Shepherd, from 42nd to 29th. As context—not an explanation—2024–25 free/reduced lunch eligible rates were 41% at McKinley, 69% at Lincoln and 27% at Wallace; their student-teacher ratios were 14.8, 13.1 and not provided here, respectively. At Ottawa Township High School, ACT ELA improved from 37% to 47% between 2024–25 and 2025–26, though its latest math and science rates remained below state levels.
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