Newton Local

Newton Local is a two-school Ohio district in Pleasant Hill serving about 650 students: Newton Elementary School covers grades PK–6 with 359 students, and Newton High School covers grades 7–12 with 291 students. There is no middle school and no alternative school. The district as a whole ranks 87th of 773 Ohio districts — the 89th percentile — and holds 4 stars.

Newton Elementary School is the standout, earning 5 stars in all three years of rank history and sitting between the 92nd and 95th percentile of elementary schools. In 2025–26 every reported test score was above the state average, with mathematics especially strong: 4th grade math scored 93.4 against 67.3 statewide, 5th grade math 87.9 against 59.1, and 6th grade math 84.4 against 56.2. English language arts and 5th grade science were also well above state. Its chronic absenteeism is 7.8%, a little above the district's 7.3%, and its student-teacher ratio is relatively high at 23.9.

Newton High School is consistently 4-star and stable at roughly the 88th–89th percentile, with a 96.4% graduation rate and chronic absenteeism of 6.6% — lower than both the elementary school and the district. Most tests are above state, including American Government at 93.3 versus 71.6, Biology at 90.0 versus 67.0, and American History at 88.0 versus 73.2. The clearest academic focus area is 8th grade math, the only reported test below the state average in both years; it improved from 40.0 to 47.8 but remained under the state's 52.0. The high school reports 49.14% free/reduced lunch, while the elementary figure is unknown, so poverty comparisons across the two schools cannot be made. Spending data dates to 2018–19.