Columbiana Exempted Village

Columbiana Exempted Village is a small Ohio district serving 971 students across three schools: Joshua Dixon Elementary School (PK–4, 363 students), South Side Middle School (5–8, 289 students), and Columbiana High School (9–12, 319 students). The district ranks 92nd of 773 districts statewide — the 88th percentile with 4 stars in 2025–2026 — and every reported test score at all three schools sits above the state average.

South Side Middle School is the district's standout, ranking 39th of 1,046 middle schools (96th percentile, 5 stars) and posting the lowest chronic absenteeism at 9.3%, below the district's 11.6%. Its results are remarkable: 100.0% Algebra I proficiency in both 2024–2025 and 2025–2026 (state: 61.6%), 98.4% in 6th grade math (state: 56.2%), and 98.5% in 5th grade English language arts (state: 70.4%). It achieves this while carrying the highest student-teacher ratio in the district at 22.2, suggesting instructional quality and school culture matter as much as resource ratios.

Columbiana High School ranks 93rd of 795 high schools (88th percentile, 4 stars) with a 98.9% graduation rate, though its chronic absenteeism of 15.0% is the district's highest and its rank slipped from 5 stars a year earlier. Joshua Dixon Elementary School ranks 425th of 1,560 elementaries (73rd percentile, 4 stars), down from the 88th percentile, with 3rd grade math and ELA falling to 67.1% and 70.0%; its 4th grade results remain strong at 89.1% in math and 87.3% in ELA, and absenteeism is a healthy 10.7%. Parents should note the middle school's excellence, the high school's absenteeism trend, and the elementary school's recent slide.