North Fork Local

North Fork Local (OH) is a four-school district serving 1,454 students across two K–5 elementary schools, one 6–8 middle school, and one 9–12 high school: Utica High School, Utica Elementary School, Utica Middle School, and Newton Elementary School. The district is ranked 492nd of 773 Ohio districts, placing it in the 36th percentile with a 2-star rating. The high school’s free/reduced-lunch percentage is not reported; spending figures are from 2018–19.

Utica Middle School is the academic standout: 424th of 1,046 schools, 59th percentile, 3 stars. Its math and ELA results are above state in several grades, and Algebra I proficiency is 100% versus district 49.1% and state 61.6%, though possibly a small or advanced cohort. It has 21.9% chronic absenteeism and a 92.55% FRPL rate. Newton Elementary School has the lowest chronic absenteeism at 10.1%, plus strong 5th-grade ELA (79.3% vs. state 70.4%) and Science (72.4% vs. 62.7%), but 5th-grade math is only 32.8%. Utica Elementary School fell to 39th percentile, 2 stars in 2025–26, down from 58th in 2024–25 and 64th in 2023–24, with sharp 5th-grade drops. Utica High School has American Government at 82.2% proficient vs. state 71.6% and a 92.2% graduation rate, but Geometry is 20.2% vs. 43.3%, Algebra I 41.9% vs. 61.6%, and its rank is 30th percentile, 2 stars.

Attendance divides the district: Newton Elementary School (10.1%) and Utica Elementary School (11.8%) are below the district’s 16.3% chronic absenteeism, while Utica High School (21.2%) and Utica Middle School (21.9%) are above it. Student-teacher ratios range from 14.4 at Utica High to 16.1 at Utica Elementary. Newton spends the most per student ($9,872) and Utica High the least ($8,585), based on 2018–19 data. FRPL is 46.69% at Newton, 53.35% at Utica Elementary, 92.55% at Utica Middle, and not reported at Utica High. The biggest red flags are elementary 5th-grade math (district 36.4% vs. state 59.1%; Utica Elementary 39.7%, Newton 32.8%) and high-school Geometry/Algebra I. Overall, North Fork Local is mixed: Utica Middle is relatively strong, the elementaries have attendance strengths but math gaps, and Utica High has Government and graduation highlights but major math weaknesses.