Summary:
Atwater, Ohio is home to three public schools — Waterloo Elementary School (K–6), Waterloo Middle School (7–8), and Waterloo High School (9–12) — all in the Waterloo Local district, which enrolls 796 students at a shared campus and ranks 443 of 773 in Ohio at the 43rd percentile with 2 stars.
The high school is the academic standout: 297 of 795 statewide (63rd percentile, 3 stars), a 96.9% graduation rate, and above-state results in five of six End-of-Course subjects in 2025–2026, including Geometry at 64.5% versus 43.3%, English II at 75% versus 62.7%, and Biology at 78.7% versus 67%. Algebra I lagged at 58.1% versus 61.6%. It also has the highest chronic absenteeism, 33.0% against the district's 24.0%. The elementary school is the largest, with 462 students (58% of enrollment), and has the best attendance at 18.7%, but it has fallen to 37th percentile and 2 stars, with 3rd grade math at 26.2% versus the state's 62.1%; only 1 of 9 elementary tests was above state in 2025–2026. It also has the highest student-teacher ratio (24.3) and lowest per-student spending ($7,501, 2018–2019).
The middle school is a study in contrasts: Algebra I End-of-Course was 100% proficient in both years, far above the state's 61.6%, and 8th grade ELA hit 64.5% versus 58.3%. Yet 8th grade math was 30% versus 52% and 8th grade science 48.4% versus 61.2%, and its rank slipped to 43rd percentile and 2 stars. The 100% Algebra I figure should be read with caution, since that group may be small or selective. The middle school's free/reduced-lunch percentage is blank (unknown, not zero), and spending data dates to 2018–2019.
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