Best Public Schools in Canton, OH

Canton, Ohio is home to 36 schools serving students from kindergarten through 12th grade — 21 elementary, 8 middle, and 7 high schools — spread across Plain Local, Canton City, Canton Local, Jackson Local, and several charter networks. Combined enrollment is about 16,730 students, but sizes vary widely: GlenOak High School and McKinley High School each enroll more than 2,000 students, while Summit Academy Secondary - Canton has just 85; the median school serves about 341 students.

Several schools stand out. Portage Collaborative Montessori School in Canton City ranks 39th of 1,560 elementary schools (98th percentile, 5 stars), with 11.3% chronic absenteeism and many scores at or near 100%. In Plain Local, Frazer Elementary School (91st percentile), Robert A. Taft Elementary School (90th), Middlebranch Elementary School, and Avondale Elementary School post strong math and reading results with low absenteeism. Robert A. Taft also has the highest available free/reduced lunch rate, 66.59%, showing high poverty does not automatically mean low achievement. Lake Cable Elementary School has the area's lowest chronic absenteeism, 6.7%. Oakwood Middle School scores 99.0 in Algebra I and 95.7 in Geometry, and GlenOak High School graduates 93.2% of students with 16.1% chronic absenteeism and beat the state in five of six end-of-course exams.

Other schools face serious challenges. McKinley High School graduates 80.9% of students but has 48.9% chronic absenteeism and scored below the state in all six end-of-course subjects. Charter and alternative high schools struggle most: Choices Alternative School (30.1% graduation, 90.4% absenteeism), Canton Harbor High School (46.8%, 85.8%), and Stark High School (70.0%, 73.7%). Beacon Academy ranks in the 3rd percentile with 52.1% chronic absenteeism. Across all 36 schools, average chronic absenteeism is about 31.0%, and it tracks closely with outcomes, with top schools mostly under 17%. Spending and class size do not explain results: McGregor Intermediate School has the highest reported per-student spending, $12,276 (2018-2019), but low proficiency, while Portage Montessori has the highest student-teacher ratio, 26.7, and top results.