Summary:
Castalia, Ohio has three listed schools—one elementary serving PK–5 and two high schools serving grades 6–12 and 9–12—with no standalone middle school and total enrollment of 1,566 students. The two Margaretta schools belong to Margaretta Local, ranked 221 of 773 Ohio districts (71st percentile, 4 stars). Townsend Community School is its own district and has no district rank listed. Enrollment is similar at the two high schools: Margaretta High School has 536 students and Townsend has 494.
Margaretta Elementary School is the academic standout: 4th grade math proficiency was 90.3% in 2025–2026 vs. 67.3% statewide, and 5th grade ELA was 78.8%, both above state. Its chronic absenteeism, 14.9%, is lower than the district's 19.9%. But 3rd grade math fell below state at 56.9% vs. 62.1%, and its rank slipped to 69th percentile, 3 stars. Margaretta High School has a 98.8% graduation rate and strong results in Biology (82.9%), 8th grade Science (83.5%), and American Government (82.1%). Its warning signs are Geometry, below state at 40.5% vs. 43.3%, and chronic absenteeism of 24.1%; it ranks at the 63rd percentile, 3 stars.
Townsend Community School faces the most severe challenges: a 40.4% graduation rate, 45.4% chronic absenteeism, a 30.3 student-teacher ratio, and 0 stars at the 6th percentile (806 of 855). Its 2024–2025 test proficiency is far below state across reported subjects, including Geometry at 1.2% and Algebra I at 3.0%. Free/reduced lunch and per-student spending are not reported for Townsend, so economic context cannot be compared. At the Margaretta schools, free/reduced lunch is 39.55% and 42.72%, yet both generally outperform the state. Overall, the Margaretta schools are above state averages with some subject-level weak spots, while Townsend shows stark academic, attendance, and staffing needs. Ranking pools differ, so percentile is the clearer comparison.
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