Waterloo Local

Waterloo Local in Ohio is a small K–12 district with three schools — one elementary (K–6), one middle (7–8), and one high school (9–12) — and 796 students. The district is ranked 443 of 773 in Ohio, at the 43rd percentile with 2 stars. Waterloo High School is the standout: 297 of 795, 63rd percentile, 3 stars, and 3 stars for three straight years. Its End-of-Course results beat the state in five of six subjects, often by wide margins, though Algebra I is at 58.1%, below the district’s 67.3% and state’s 61.6%. It also has a 96.9% graduation rate but 33.0% chronic absenteeism, above the district’s 24.0%.

Waterloo Middle School has a striking Algebra I result: 100% proficiency in both years, far above district and state, though this may reflect a small cohort. Other results are mixed: 8th grade ELA is 64.5% vs state 58.3%, but 8th grade math is 30.0% vs 52.0% and 8th grade science is 48.4% vs 61.2%. It fell from a 3-star, 63rd-percentile school in 2023–24 to 2 stars and 43rd percentile in 2025–26. Waterloo Elementary School has the best attendance, with 18.7% chronic absenteeism vs the district’s 24.0%, but it dropped from 3 stars and 54th percentile to 2 stars and 37th percentile. Its 3rd grade math is 26.2% vs the state’s 62.1%, down from 60.7%, while 6th grade math (61.7% vs 56.2%) and 5th grade ELA (64.0% vs district 62.3%) are strengths.

Overall, Waterloo High School carries the district academically, while Waterloo Elementary School faces academic and resource challenges: largest enrollment, highest student-teacher ratio (24.3), lowest 2018–19 per-student spending ($7,501), and highest reported free/reduced lunch rate (65.15%). The high school has the lowest student-teacher ratio (11.2) and highest spending ($9,407). These resource patterns are notable but not causal. The most urgent academic signals are elementary 3rd grade math, middle school 8th grade math and science, and high school Algebra I. The most positive signals are high school End-of-Course performance, graduation rate, middle school Algebra I and 8th grade ELA, and elementary attendance.