Summary:
Southwest Licking Local serves about 4,871 students across seven schools — four elementary, one middle, two high, and no alternative schools — in the Pataskala, Etna, and Kirkersville area. The district is ranked 308 of 773 statewide (60th percentile, 3 stars). Enrollment is concentrated in its traditional schools: elementary students make up 46.2% of the total, middle school 23.5%, and high school 30.2%, with Watkins Memorial High School enrolling 1,397 students compared with just 75 at SWL Digital Academy.
Three traditional schools are 4-star performers: Watkins Intermediate School (79th percentile, up from 69th in 2023–24), Watkins Middle School (72nd percentile), and Watkins Memorial High School (70th percentile). Among the K–3 elementaries, Etna Elementary leads third-grade results with 81.7% proficient in math and 83.7% in ELA, versus state averages of 62.1% and 63.4%, despite a free/reduced lunch rate of 48.14%. Kirkersville Elementary School has the district's lowest chronic absenteeism at 7.7%, though its third-grade scores fell below district averages, while Pataskala South Fork Elementary School raised third-grade ELA from 65.0% to 73.4%.
The clearest outlier is SWL Digital Academy: 1 star, 22nd percentile, 66.5% chronic absenteeism, an 88.9% graduation rate, and 0% Geometry proficiency in both years. Watkins Memorial High School also reports 27.3% chronic absenteeism, above the district's 16.2%, alongside strong scores and a 97.8% graduation rate. High-school math is uneven, with Geometry at 55.4% and Integrated Math I reported at 0% versus the state's 34.4%.
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