Summary:
Jonathan Alder Local is a five-school Ohio district serving about 2,412 students: two elementary schools (PK–4), a grades 5–6 middle school, a grades 7–8 junior high, and one high school (9–12). The district ranks 210 of 773 in Ohio — the 73rd percentile — with 4 stars, and it scored above the state average on every reported district-level test in both 2025-26 and 2024-25, averaging about 17 points higher. Enrollment is largest at Plain City Elementary School (704) and Jonathan Alder High School (729), and smallest at Monroe Elementary School (243).
Jonathan Alder High School is the high-school standout: a 98.7% graduation rate and above-state End-of-Course scores in Biology (88.2%), American History (87.6%), American Government (83.1%), and English II (80%), though chronic absenteeism is 18.6%, the district's highest and above the 13.4% district rate. Jonathan Alder Junior High ranks strongest among the middle schools, in the 88th percentile, with 100% proficiency in both Geometry and Algebra I in 2025-26. Plain City Elementary School holds 4 stars and the 74th percentile, with 9.0% chronic absenteeism. Canaan Middle School has the lowest absenteeism at 7.7% and reported 100% in 7th grade Math two years running, though no school-level rank or stars are shown for it here.
Monroe Elementary School is the clear concern: 2 stars, the 39th percentile, the district's highest free/reduced lunch rate at 62.55%, 17.3% chronic absenteeism, and 2025-26 scores below state in Math 3, ELA 3, and ELA 4. It did improve from the 34th to the 39th percentile, and 4th grade ELA rebounded from 41.9% to 59.6%. Attendance and achievement do not move together here: Canaan and Plain City pair low absenteeism with strong results, while the high-performing junior high and high school have absenteeism above the district rate. Spending and class size do not predict outcomes either — the junior high had the lowest 2018-19 per-pupil spending ($6,914) yet very strong results, while Monroe has the smallest student-teacher ratio (15.0) alongside higher poverty and lower achievement.
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