Summary:
Lima City serves roughly 3,370 students across nine schools in a single district that ranks 579 of 773 Ohio districts (25th percentile, 1 star). The grade structure is unusual: four PK–4 elementary schools (Heritage Elementary School, Independence Elementary School, Unity Elementary School and Freedom Elementary School), two K–8 magnet schools (Liberty Arts Magnet K-8 and Lima South Science-Technology Magnet K-8), a grades 5–6 middle school (Lima North Middle School), a grades 7–8 middle school (Lima West Middle School) and one high school, Lima Senior High School.
Lima South Science-Technology Magnet K-8 is the standout — the only 3-star school in the area at the 63rd percentile, the only school above the state average in test proficiency (about 70.8% vs. 60.1%), with the lowest student-teacher ratio (8.6), the highest per-pupil spending ($11,649) and chronic absenteeism of 14.6%. Liberty Arts Magnet K-8 is the improver: 40th percentile, up 12 points in three years, and the lowest absenteeism in the data set at 13.5%, though science is a weak spot (5th grade science 36.8). Among traditional neighborhood schools, Freedom Elementary School is the bright spot at the 30th percentile — the only non-magnet school beating the state in any 2025–26 subject, with 3rd grade math at 65.2% vs. the state's 62.1%.
Absenteeism is the sharpest dividing line: every elementary school falls between 13.5% and 34.5%, while all three secondary schools exceed 50% (North 50.5%, Lima Senior 52.6%, West 53.8%). Lima West Middle School ranks lowest at the 8th percentile with 53.8% chronic absenteeism; Lima Senior High School's weakest area is math, with Geometry at 14.0% and Algebra I at 25.5% against state rates of 43.3% and 61.6%. Note that free/reduced lunch data is missing for all nine schools, and spending figures date to 2018–19.
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