High Schools in Lancaster City

Lancaster City has one public high school, Lancaster High School, serving grades 9–12 with 1,995 students in the Lancaster City district. Because it is the only high school in this area, there is no other in-city high school to compare it with directly; the most useful comparisons are to Ohio state averages and to the school’s own past performance. The school remains rated 2 stars, but its percentile rank among Ohio schools slipped from 46 in 2023–24 to 43 in 2024–25 to 36 in 2025–26, meaning it is being compared less favorably over time.

Academically, results are mixed. In 2025–26, Lancaster High School beat the state in American History (74.5% proficient vs. 73.2%) and Algebra I (64.3% vs. 61.6%). English II showed the biggest improvement, rising from 54.2% to 61.6%, a +7.4-point gain that nearly closed its gap to the state. The graduation rate was 91.9%, equal to the district rate. However, the school trailed the state in American Government (70.4% vs. 71.6%), Biology (61.1% vs. 67.0%), and Geometry (40.1% vs. 43.3%). Geometry was the lowest subject and fell 4.3 points, while Biology’s gap to the state widened.

For parents, the biggest engagement concern is chronic absenteeism: 36.1% at the school versus 26.3% districtwide, or about 9.8 percentage points higher. More than one in three students is chronically absent, even though the graduation rate is strong. The student-teacher ratio is 21.4, and per-student spending is listed as $9,295 from 2018–19, so that spending figure is not current. The free/reduced-lunch percentage is not reported and should not be treated as 0%. Overall, this school has clear strengths in American History, Algebra I, and English II improvement, but also declining rank percentile, high absenteeism, and weak or worsening results in Geometry and Biology.