Innes Community Learning Center

Innes Community Learning Center is a grade 6–8 middle school at 1999 East Ave in Akron, Ohio, serving 673 students — the second-largest middle school in Akron City — as a comprehensive neighborhood school. It ranks near the bottom of Ohio's middle schools (10th percentile, 1 star) and sits below its own district's average, with average proficiency of 18.7% across the seven state tests it reported, compared with 28.4% for the district and 56.4% for Ohio.

The most striking issue is attendance: 63.9% of Innes students are chronically absent — the highest in its peer group, more than 1.5 times the district rate, and roughly four times the rate at Akron's magnet schools, National Inventors Hall of Fame School Center for STEM and Miller-South Visual Performing Arts (both near 15%). Attendance has improved from 70.3% three years ago, which is a genuine positive. In the classroom, Innes trails the other comprehensive Akron middle schools, Jennings Community Learning Center and Litchfield Community Learning Center, on all eight subject measures, despite smaller classes (12.5 students per teacher) and higher per-student spending. Every reported student subgroup ranks at or below the 10th percentile, and gifted and talented students rank at the 3rd percentile.

There is one clear bright spot: Algebra I proficiency was 81.8%, above Ohio's 61.6% and nearly double the district's 42.7%. That success has not yet reached the general 8th-grade math population (13.2%). Other encouraging signs: 8th-grade ELA rose from 13.1% to 27.0% in a single year, and 6th-grade ELA from 16.4% to 25.8%. The clearest concern is 7th grade, where math fell to 8.0% and ELA to 19.6% — a third straight year of decline. Nearby I Promise School, which serves a similar population and ranks lower overall, has 38.1% chronic absenteeism, suggesting attendance is the most actionable lever.