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Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students

Public, Alternative Grades 3-12

34^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,558 Ohio Alternative Schools

Better than 98% of Ohio alternative schools

Summary

Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students is an alternative public school in Cincinnati, Ohio that serves grades 3-12 and is part of the Cincinnati Public Schools district. Despite the district's overall ranking of 596 out of 828 districts in Ohio and a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger, Spencer Center stands out as a high-performing school with consistently strong academic outcomes.

The school's students significantly outperform the district and state averages across a wide range of subjects and grade levels on the Ohio State Tests. For example, in 2024-2025, 100% of 5th graders were proficient or better in Science, compared to 38.7% for the district and 63.4% for the state, and 93.3% of students were proficient or better in American Government, compared to 59.6% for the district and 72.6% for the state. Spencer Center also has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 11.8 to 12.2 over the past few years, and spends $11,363 per student, which is higher than the spending at nearby schools like Oyler School, Roberts Academy, and Riverview East Academy.

While Spencer Center's academic performance is exceptional, the school has struggled with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 23% to 46% over the past few years. This is an area that the school and the Cincinnati Public Schools district may need to address. Overall, Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students is a standout school within the district, providing a high-quality education to its students and catering to the needs of gifted and exceptional learners.

373

Students ?

13.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,125

Per pupil spending ?

42.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3555 Kellogg Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45226-1396

(513) 363-0000

District: Cincinnati Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

55.0%

African American:

31.4%

Two or more races:

9.1%

See top rated Ohio elementary schools

Compare Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 89th percentile in 2022 → 98th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Ohio average (92% vs 60% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 2% of Ohio alternative schools

✓96% graduate within 4 years

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school92%

District avg44%

Ohio avg60%

Elementary school

34^th of 1,558

Ohio public elementary schools ?

Top 2%▬ steady since 2019

See the entire ranking list of Ohio Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

18^th of 1,036

Ohio public middle schools ?

Top 2%▲ up 25 pts since 2019

From top 27% (2019) to top 2% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Ohio Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

14^th of 855

Ohio public high schools ?

Top 2%▲ up 20 pts since 2021

From top 22% (2021) to top 2% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Ohio High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 9Alternative Schools in the Cincinnati Public Schools

596^th of 828Cincinnati Public Schools among Ohio districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	91.8	34 of 1558	97.8%	★★★★★
2024	93.2	12 of 1577	99.2%	★★★★★
2023	94.9	3 of 1596	99.8%	★★★★★
2022	93.1	15 of 1588	99.1%	★★★★★
2021	89.7	112 of 1610	93.0%	★★★★★
2019	90.0	40 of 1676	97.6%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	97.1	7 of 615	98.9%	★★★★★
2022	97.9	9 of 601	98.5%	★★★★★
2021	99.3	6 of 533	98.9%	★★★★★
2019	97.3	5 of 605	99.2%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	87.9	73 of 1452	95.0%	★★★★★
2024	89.5	35 of 1466	97.6%	★★★★★
2022	79.5	289 of 1488	80.6%	★★★★☆
2021	88.8	90 of 1467	93.9%	★★★★★
2019	83.6	149 of 1502	90.1%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2021	67.8	46 of 219	79.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	96.2	2 of 1473	99.9%	★★★★★
2024	94.9	7 of 1484	99.5%	★★★★★
2022	95.7	6 of 1419	99.6%	★★★★★
2021	97.7	2 of 1404	99.9%	★★★★★
2019	91.6	32 of 1465	97.8%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	88.6	56 of 1466	96.2%	★★★★★
2024	90.8	25 of 1485	98.3%	★★★★★
2023	92.5	7 of 1498	99.5%	★★★★★
2022	93.9	2 of 1518	99.9%	★★★★★
2021	87.4	134 of 1499	91.1%	★★★★★
2019	89.7	34 of 1535	97.8%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	90.8	8 of 1175	99.3%	★★★★★
2024	91.3	5 of 1190	99.6%	★★★★★
2022	92.7	3 of 1242	99.8%	★★★★★
2021	92.1	12 of 1249	99.0%	★★★★★
2019	89.6	18 of 1271	98.6%	★★★★★

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	93.9	18 of 1036	98.3%	★★★★★
2024	95.8	4 of 1046	99.6%	★★★★★
2023	93.8	18 of 1048	98.3%	★★★★★
2022	93.2	20 of 1017	98.0%	★★★★★
2021	89.2	70 of 1037	93.2%	★★★★★
2019	72.8	281 of 1050	73.2%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2024	99.8	1 of 429	99.8%	★★★★★
2023	98.2	5 of 436	98.9%	★★★★★
2022	98.7	4 of 413	99.0%	★★★★★
2021	99.4	3 of 385	99.2%	★★★★★
2019	77.1	69 of 405	83.0%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2019	82.1	51 of 658	92.2%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	92.4	21 of 938	97.8%	★★★★★
2023	88.4	46 of 943	95.1%	★★★★★
2022	92.0	19 of 925	97.9%	★★★★★
2021	82.2	129 of 910	85.8%	★★★★☆
2019	66.9	356 of 917	61.2%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2024	69.8	38 of 196	80.6%	★★★★☆
2022	56.2	129 of 241	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	62.7	108 of 274	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	28.4	148 of 164	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	97.7	3 of 983	99.7%	★★★★★
2024	98.7	1 of 989	99.9%	★★★★★
2023	91.4	27 of 974	97.2%	★★★★★
2022	98.5	2 of 947	99.8%	★★★★★
2021	94.6	18 of 923	98.0%	★★★★★
2019	72.2	236 of 945	75.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	94.5	9 of 954	99.1%	★★★★★
2024	94.3	10 of 958	99.0%	★★★★★
2023	96.3	1 of 963	99.9%	★★★★★
2022	90.2	58 of 946	93.9%	★★★★★
2021	91.1	43 of 924	95.3%	★★★★★
2019	60.6	400 of 933	57.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	91.3	21 of 777	97.3%	★★★★★
2023	96.7	1 of 805	99.9%	★★★★★
2022	94.1	4 of 809	99.5%	★★★★★
2021	89.9	40 of 781	94.9%	★★★★★
2019	86.5	61 of 796	92.3%	★★★★★

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	88.3	14 of 855	98.4%	★★★★★
2024	85.4	37 of 864	95.7%	★★★★★
2023	81.5	70 of 867	91.9%	★★★★★
2022	78.8	89 of 836	89.4%	★★★★☆
2021	69.0	181 of 819	77.9%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	96.3	5 of 328	98.5%	★★★★★
2024	95.7	5 of 318	98.4%	★★★★★
2023	92.9	12 of 323	96.3%	★★★★★
2022	94.3	8 of 306	97.4%	★★★★★
2021	83.2	26 of 284	90.8%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	91.8	16 of 809	98.0%	★★★★★
2024	83.2	90 of 798	88.7%	★★★★☆
2023	76.6	148 of 813	81.8%	★★★★☆
2022	66.6	254 of 794	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.1	272 of 775	64.9%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	70.1	72 of 244	70.5%	★★★★☆
2024	60.1	132 of 280	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.8	203 of 308	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.7	217 of 312	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.6	240 of 349	31.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	95.9	2 of 815	99.8%	★★★★★
2024	92.6	16 of 822	98.1%	★★★★★
2023	80.7	78 of 805	90.3%	★★★★★
2022	90.3	21 of 773	97.3%	★★★★★
2021	76.2	95 of 763	87.5%	★★★★☆
2019	66.9	224 of 779	71.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	86.1	65 of 817	92.0%	★★★★★
2024	91.0	24 of 816	97.1%	★★★★★
2023	89.2	37 of 819	95.5%	★★★★★
2022	86.1	53 of 808	93.4%	★★★★★
2021	73.7	150 of 778	80.7%	★★★★☆
2019	91.5	14 of 792	98.2%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2023	76.1	149 of 756	80.3%	★★★★☆
2022	79.5	110 of 749	85.3%	★★★★☆
2021	87.5	37 of 727	94.9%	★★★★★

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)100th percentile~ school

White (2025)99th percentile~ school

African American (2025)99th percentile~ school

Male (2025)96th percentile~ school

Female (2025)95th percentile-3 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2021)79th percentile-14 vs school

Middle school

African American (2024)100th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)100th percentile~ school

Male (2025)99th percentile~ school

Female (2025)98th percentile~ school

White (2025)97th percentile~ school

Disabled (2019)92nd percentile+19 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2024)81st percentile-19 vs school

High school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)100th percentile~ school

African American (2025)98th percentile~ school

Female (2025)98th percentile~ school

Male (2025)92nd percentile-6 vs school

White (2023)80th percentile-12 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)70th percentile-28 vs school

By subject vs Ohio (2024-2025) ?

Science99%+35 vs state

Algebra I98%+39 vs state

English Language Arts96%+36 vs state

American History96%+25 vs state

English II96%+36 vs state

American Government93%+21 vs state

Biology90%+25 vs state

Mathematics84%+28 vs state

Geometry80%+38 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, February 29, 2020

Small classes, diverse, and great school. Every school should be modeled after this ones especially the small classes Close Quote

Schools Near Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking ()				Ranking ()				Ohio State Tests Science (2025)		Ohio State Tests American Government (2025)	Ohio State Tests American History (2025)	Ohio State Tests Mathematics (2025)						Ohio State Tests English Language Arts (2025)						Ohio State Tests Biology (2025)	Ohio State Tests English II (2025)	Ohio State Tests Geometry (2025)	Ohio State Tests Algebra I (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	Ohio State Tests Science 5th Grade	Ohio State Tests Science 8th Grade	Ohio State Tests American Government End of Course	Ohio State Tests American History End of Course	Ohio State Tests Mathematics 3rd Grade	Ohio State Tests Mathematics 4th Grade	Ohio State Tests Mathematics 5th Grade	Ohio State Tests Mathematics 6th Grade	Ohio State Tests Mathematics 7th Grade	Ohio State Tests Mathematics 8th Grade	Ohio State Tests English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Ohio State Tests English Language Arts 4th Grade	Ohio State Tests English Language Arts 5th Grade	Ohio State Tests English Language Arts 6th Grade	Ohio State Tests English Language Arts 7th Grade	Ohio State Tests English Language Arts 8th Grade	Ohio State Tests Biology End of Course	Ohio State Tests English II End of Course	Ohio State Tests Geometry End of Course	Ohio State Tests Algebra I End of Course	Total
Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students	Public, Alternative	3-12	3555 Kellogg Ave	Cincinnati	45226	Hamilton County	Cincinnati Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	No	(513) 363-0000	373	29	13.0		205 (55.0%)	117 (31.4%)	7 (1.9%)	10 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (9.1%)								(n/a)	100.0	97.1	93.3	96.3	91.7	88.6	81.1	83.7	87.8	72.7	87.5	100.0	100.0	93.9	100.0	97.1	90.0	96.2	80.4	98.0	$16,125
Riverview East Academy	Public, Alternative	4-12	3555 Kellogg Ave	Cincinnati	45226	Hamilton County	Cincinnati Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(513) 363-3400	165	20	8.2		58 (35.2%)	87 (52.7%)	6 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (8.5%)								(n/a)			22.0	52.8													40.0	33.3	11.4	22.6	$26,165
Academy Of World Languages School	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-9	2030 Fairfax Ave	Cincinnati	45207	Hamilton County	Cincinnati Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(513) 363-7800	548	38	14.3		32 (5.8%)	354 (64.6%)	129 (23.5%)	11 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	20 (3.6%)								(n/a)	21.3	43.2			18.6	29.8	19.1	20.0	11.1	13.6	23.7	31.9	38.3	25.5	52.3	20.5					$13,955
Dr. O?dell Owens Center for Learning	Public, Alternative	4-12	2825 Alms Pl	Cincinnati	45206	Hamilton County	Cincinnati Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(513) 363-4900	0	9	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)		0.0	0.0	10.0					5.3	0.0					5.3	0.0	0.0	0.0		0.0	$7,066
Mount Auburn Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	244 Southern Ave	Cincinnati	45219	Hamilton County	Mount Auburn Preparatory Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(513) 975-3391	381	18	21.7		3 (0.8%)	350 (91.9%)	6 (1.6%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.7%)								(n/a)	45.0	46.7	83.3	100.0	75.0	75.0	70.0	48.0	43.5	45.2	100.0	87.5	35.0	40.0	39.1	23.3	81.5	61.5	83.3	60.9	$10,505
School For Creative and Performing Arts	Public, Alternative	K-12	108 W Central Pkwy	Cincinnati	45202	Hamilton County	Cincinnati Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	No	(513) 363-8000	1,300	83	15.6		373 (28.7%)	751 (57.8%)	33 (2.5%)	6 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	135 (10.4%)								(n/a)	49.5	64.8	95.3	84.5	69.0	49.4	57.6	48.0	40.2	24.7	52.4	46.1	66.7	73.3	83.2	64.2	76.5	80.6	29.2	70.9	$16,071
John J. Gilligan Digital Academy	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	425 Ezzard Charles Dr	Cincinnati	45203	Hamilton County	Cincinnati Public Schools	No	(n/a)	Yes	Yes	(513) 363-2040	367	13	27.5		82 (22.3%)	225 (61.3%)	15 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (11.4%)								(n/a)		25.0	44.2	51.5	9.1			23.1	20.0	17.6	36.4			41.7	36.4	23.5	21.4	28.6	3.1	12.8	$20,983
Cincinnati College Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	1425 Linn St	Cincinnati	45214	Hamilton County	Cincinnati College Preparatory Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(513) 684-0777	949	48	19.7		6 (0.6%)	862 (90.8%)	34 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (5.0%)								(n/a)	24.3	17.4	79.2	68.0	82.1	39.1	43.2	8.3	22.4	24.6	81.0	29.0	43.2	16.7	39.0	32.9	60.3	51.3	29.7	64.3	$11,862
Academy for Multilingual Immersion Studies	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-9	1908 Seymour Ave	Cincinnati	45237	Hamilton County	Cincinnati Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(513) 363-1800	524	32	16.5		24 (4.6%)	172 (32.8%)	313 (59.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.3%)								(n/a)	5.0	40.9			23.2	6.7	10.0	12.0	7.9	19.4	7.1	22.2	22.5	10.0	25.5	31.8				61.9	$13,094
Oyler School	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	2121 Hatmaker St	Cincinnati	45204	Hamilton County	Cincinnati Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(513) 363-4100	512	36	14.0		137 (26.8%)	261 (51.0%)	31 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	4 (0.8%)	76 (14.8%)								(n/a)	7.1	51.7	31.0	53.8	40.0	55.2	9.5	11.4	37.9	17.2	47.5	31.0	19.0	17.1	27.6	13.8	34.6	42.5	18.4	40.0	$16,120

Frequently Asked Questions about Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students

What is the racial makeup of Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students?

Students at Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students are 55% White, 31% African American, 9% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 2% Hispanic.

Is Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students a good school?

Yes! Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students is one of the best alternative schools in the state. It ranks 34^th of 1558 Ohio alternative schools.

How many students attend Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students?

In the 2024-25 school year, 373 students attended Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students.

What district is Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students in?

Cincinnati Public Schools

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Ohio Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.