Springfield Preparatory and Fitness Academy

Springfield Preparatory and Fitness Academy is a K–8 school serving 158 students at 1615 Selma Rd in Springfield, Ohio, and it stands out locally in two ways: it runs as its own single-school district rather than as part of Springfield City School District, and it is the only school in its immediate comparison group serving grades 7 and 8, while nearby public schools stop at grade 6 (Springfield Sports Academy goes to grade 7).

Inside the classroom, the school is the most heavily staffed in its area: 7.1 students per teacher, roughly half the ratio of the Springfield City elementaries (13.8–15.8) and less than half of Shawnee Elementary School's 17.8 — a pattern that has held for three straight years. It also reports the highest per-pupil spending in the group ($10,979 in 2018–19, the most recent figure). The clearest concern is attendance: 47.5% of students were chronically absent in 2025–26, higher than every Springfield City elementary (22.6–35.6%) and nearly four times Shawnee's 12.9%. Only Springfield Sports Academy (65.1%) is higher locally. Attendance had improved from 62.8% in 2021–22 to 42.9% in 2024–25 before slipping back.

Results are sharply mixed. Third-grade reading is a bright spot at 76.9% proficient versus Ohio's 63.4% — the best in the comparison set, ahead of Shawnee (72.1%) — and eighth-grade math and science both reached 66.7%. Reading across grades 3–6 (about 50%) is the second-highest locally despite the poor attendance, and the school outperforms every Springfield City elementary in reading. But seventh-grade reading is 7.7% against a state figure of 62.7%, and third- and sixth-grade math sit near 23%. Because each grade has only 10–20 students, one child can move a grade-level score by 5–10 points, so single-year swings should be read cautiously. The school's statewide rank has climbed from the 11th percentile in 2021–22 to the mid-20s, where it has flattened.