Best Public Schools in Cleveland, OH

Cleveland, Ohio's list covers 147 schools serving elementary through high school grades — 89 elementary schools (about 61%), 36 high schools (about 24%), 16 alternative schools (about 11%), and 6 middle schools (about 4%) — with roughly 50,033 students enrolled, ranging from 35 students at Constellation Schools: Stockyard Community Middle to 1,504 at Mayfield High School. District context matters enormously: about 91 schools belong to Cleveland Municipal, which ranks 689 of 773 districts with 1 star, while Mayfield City has only four schools but ranks 104 of 773 with 4 stars. The rest are charters, single-school districts, and a few other districts.

The strongest schools combine low absenteeism, high graduation rates, and broad proficiency rather than isolated spikes. Mayfield High School is the top comprehensive high school, graduating 97.0% of students with 24.3% chronic absenteeism and scores above the state in all six end-of-course subjects. Millridge Elementary School is the clearest elementary standout: top-decile rank, only 7.1% chronic absenteeism, and very high math and ELA proficiency. Menlo Park Academy is the strongest charter, with 4 stars and 17.1% absenteeism, and Mayfield Middle School leads middle schools. Even within Cleveland Municipal, Cleveland Early College High graduates 100% and beats the state in all six EOC subjects, while Cleveland School of Science & Medicine and Campus International School also outperform the district norm.

At the other end, chronic absenteeism is the clearest systemic drag, ranging from 7.1% at Millridge to 99.0% at Promise Academy; many alternative and drop-back-in schools, such as Invictus High School, exceed 90%. Graduation rates are similarly polarized, from 20.5% at Promise Academy to 100% at Cleveland Early College High. Geometry is a common weak spot even among otherwise strong high schools, and small schools swing widely from year to year. The charter sector is highly mixed, and per-student spending does not clearly predict outcomes.