Conotton Valley Union Local

Conotton Valley Union Local is a small two-school Ohio district serving about 517 students across a PK–5 elementary and a combined 6–12 high school, and both schools are currently rated 4 stars and rank near the 75th percentile of Ohio districts.

Both schools have improved over the past three years, each moving from 3 stars to 4 stars and climbing roughly 100 spots in the state rankings. Conotton Valley High School stands out for math — Algebra I students were 87.5% proficient versus 61.6% statewide, and 7th-grade math was 75.7% versus 48.6% — and for its 95.0% graduation rate. Conotton Valley Elementary stands out for science and reading, with 5th-grade science at 90.7% versus 62.7% state and 4th- and 5th-grade ELA each at 88.4%. The elementary school was above state in all 7 reported tests; the high school was above state in 12 of 13.

The two schools differ most in engagement and resources. Chronic absenteeism is 3.5% at the elementary school but 11.4% at the high school — more than three times higher and above the district's 7.0%. The high school also reports a much smaller student-teacher ratio (11.8 versus 20.7) and higher historical per-student spending ($19,875 versus $13,045, from 2018–19). The elementary school achieves its strong results despite a higher free/reduced lunch share (53.61% versus 45.13%). Watch items: 6th-grade ELA at the high school, the only test below state at 53.8% versus 56.0% (down 17.3 points from the prior year), high-school absenteeism, and grade-level swings such as 3rd-grade math (75 to 66) and 6th-grade math (81.1 to 60.5), which remain above state.