Monroe Preparatory Academy

Monroe Preparatory Academy is a K–8 charter school serving 204 students (about 23 per grade) at 328 E Monroe St in Sandusky, Ohio, operating as its own district within a city whose public schools belong to Sandusky City Schools. In the most recent cycle it ranks 594th of 773 Ohio districts (23rd percentile, 1 star), with a school rank of 1,123rd of 1,560 (28th percentile, 1 star).

Parents comparing local options should know that Monroe outperforms the same-city public school it most directly competes with: it beats The Sandusky Intermediate School in 8 of 9 tested areas in 2025–26, with its only loss in 3rd grade English language arts. Its chronic absenteeism is the region's highest at 40.3%, though that figure has fallen 19.5 percentage points since 2021–22 and 13.8 points in the last year alone — roughly a one-third reduction — compared with 33.5% at Sandusky Intermediate, 28.4% at The Sandusky Primary School, 25.5% at Huron Sports Academy and 5.6% at Woodlands Elementary School. Spending is the lowest nearby — $7,238 per student (2018–19), roughly 29–44% below every comparison school — and its 15.6:1 student-teacher ratio is similar to or better than suburban schools posting far higher proficiency.

Achievement remains below the state in 10 of 11 tested grade-subject areas, the single exception being 6th grade math (56.3% vs. 56.2%). The average gap is about 16 points overall, but roughly 20.5 points in English language arts versus about 11.8 points in math. Two patterns stand out: low-income students rank in the 32nd percentile (2 stars) and male students in the 38th percentile (2 stars), both above the school's overall 28th percentile, while 5th grade science has declined every year, from 81.8% (2022–23) to 47.4% (2025–26). Grades 7 and 8 are the weakest, and with only about 23 students per grade, one-year swings of 4–5 points are common, so trends matter more than any single year's number.