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William Rainey Harper

Q: Is William Rainey Harper a good school?

William Rainey Harper ranks 827 th of 1560 Ohio elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-8

827^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,560 Ohio Elementary Schools

Better than 47% of Ohio elementary schools

Summary

William Rainey Harper is a PK–8 neighborhood school serving 423 students on Cleveland's west side, in the Cleveland Municipal City School District — a district that ranks 689th of 773 Ohio districts (11th percentile, one star). The school itself carries a two-star rating and ranked 827th of 1,560 Ohio schools in 2025–2026, placing it near the middle of Ohio's schools even though it operates inside one of the state's lowest-ranked urban districts. It enrolls more students than its two closest Cleveland Municipal neighbors.

Harper's clearest strength is how far it has come. Since 2021–2022 it has gained 26 percentile points and 421 rank positions, climbing from the bottom quarter of Ohio schools to roughly the middle, and it shed its one-star status two years ago. Averaged across all 14 reported grade-and-subject results, about 56% of students are proficient, compared with roughly 31% across the district and about 60% statewide; Harper is above the district in all 14 results and above the state in 7. Chronic absenteeism runs 27.8%, roughly half the district's 54.3%, and it has stayed near half the district rate in every reported year.

Compared with nearby schools, Harper stands out. It outranks its Cleveland Municipal peers Denison (32nd percentile) and Charles A Mooney School (12th percentile), and it also outranks suburban Parma City schools Thoreau Park Elementary School, Ridge-Brook Elementary School and John Muir Elementary School (33rd–39th percentile), plus Brooklyn School (36th percentile). Its third- and fourth-grade math results beat all of them. The closest school, Cleveland Preparatory Academy (0.27 miles away), ranks 31st percentile with 73.3% chronic absenteeism, while Global Village Academy ranks 66th percentile on far less spending per student. Watch items: science lags the state in grades 5 and 8, grade 8 is the weakest grade in every subject, and special education students rank lowest among the school's student groups (39th percentile), though they improved sharply from the prior year. Students from low-income families rank above the school as a whole (66th percentile), and boys and girls perform nearly identically (46th vs. 47th percentile).

423

Students ?

17.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,751

Per pupil spending ?

70.2%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

96%

Kindergartners complete for all required vaccines (2025-26)

Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)

5515 Ira Ave
Cleveland, OH 44144-3839

(216) 838-0000

District: Cleveland Municipal

Racial breakdown:

White:

35.5%

Hispanic:

34.0%

African American:

24.1%

See top rated Ohio elementary schools

Compare William Rainey Harper to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 29th percentile in 2021 → 47th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 18 percentile points since 2021

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Cleveland Municipal

Worth a look

!Science scores 22 pts below the Ohio average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school56%

District avg31%

Ohio avg60%

Elementary school

827^th of 1,560

Ohio public elementary schools ?

Bottom 47%▲ up 18 pts since 2021

From bottom 29% (2021) to bottom 47% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Ohio Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

619^th of 1,046

Ohio public middle schools ?

Bottom 41%▲ up 11 pts since 2023

From bottom 29% (2023) to bottom 41% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Ohio Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 50Elementary Schools in the Cleveland Municipal

689^th of 773Cleveland Municipal 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
2026	54.4	827 of 1560	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.6	948 of 1558	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.3	1070 of 1577	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.7	1152 of 1596	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.8	1248 of 1588	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.3	1147 of 1610	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2026	80.9	77 of 631	87.8%	★★★★☆
2025	71.3	128 of 615	79.2%	★★★★☆
2024	55.0	216 of 603	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.7	145 of 610	76.2%	★★★★☆
2022	77.7	91 of 601	84.9%	★★★★☆
2021	59.9	136 of 533	74.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2026	52.9	775 of 1452	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.7	876 of 1452	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.0	1004 of 1466	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.8	1066 of 1483	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.0	1163 of 1488	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.5	1004 of 1467	31.6%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2026	60.6	113 of 315	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	62.7	81 of 259	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.5	90 of 234	61.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2026	65.1	506 of 1467	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.1	701 of 1473	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.6	924 of 1484	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.9	968 of 1447	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.0	1075 of 1419	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.1	908 of 1404	35.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2026	53.7	789 of 1467	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.6	956 of 1466	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.5	1064 of 1485	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.7	1151 of 1498	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.9	1306 of 1518	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	10.9	1279 of 1499	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2026	36.9	554 of 914	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	23.8	772 of 935	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.9	645 of 900	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2026	61.6	517 of 1181	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	41.6	784 of 1175	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	6.3	1127 of 1190	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.5	1172 of 1215	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.6	1168 of 1242	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.7	1098 of 1249	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2026	45.9	619 of 1046	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.2	761 of 1036	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.1	670 of 1046	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.2	740 of 1048	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2026	38.1	643 of 947	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	17.8	765 of 938	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.6	617 of 942	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.8	676 of 943	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2026	53.5	126 of 270	53.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2026	55.4	474 of 996	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	30.3	711 of 983	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	47.7	556 of 989	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.6	634 of 974	34.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2026	44.8	568 of 955	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	27.6	700 of 954	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.9	700 of 958	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2026	37.9	523 of 790	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	9.3	726 of 777	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.5	759 of 795	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

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

African American (2026)88th percentile+41 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)66th percentile+19 vs school

Hispanic (2026)64th percentile+17 vs school

White (2026)56th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2026)47th percentile~ school

Male (2026)46th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)39th percentile-8 vs school

Middle school

Hispanic (2026)53rd percentile+13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)52nd percentile+12 vs school

Male (2026)41st percentile~ school

White (2026)34th percentile-7 vs school

Female (2026)32nd percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Ohio (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts60%~ state avg

Mathematics58%~ state avg

Science40%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near William Rainey Harper

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Ranking:

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Ohio State Tests Science (2026)		Ohio State Tests Mathematics (2026)						Ohio State Tests English Language Arts (2026)						Vaccination (2025-26)		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	Directly certified (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Ohio State Tests Science 5th Grade	Ohio State Tests Science 8th Grade	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners complete for all required vaccines	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Total
William Rainey Harper	Public	PK, KG-8	5515 Ira Ave	Cleveland	44144	Cuyahoga County	Cleveland Municipal	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(216) 838-0000	423	24	17.6	70.2%	150 (35.5%)	102 (24.1%)	144 (34.0%)	3 (0.7%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.7%)	19 (4.5%)	54.4	827^th of 1560 public elementary schools	47.0%		46.6	948^th of 1558 public elementary schools	39.2%	121	37.8	41.4	71.7	83.3	53.3	46.8	50.0	41.4	71.7	70.8	55.6	57.4	65.8	41.4	96%	0%	$12,751
Cleveland Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	4850 Pearl Rd	Cleveland	44109	Cuyahoga County	Cleveland Preparatory Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(216) 741-2991	107	10	10.7	84.1%	21 (19.6%)	41 (38.3%)	35 (32.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	9 (8.4%)	35.9	1076^th of 1560 public elementary schools	31.0%		32.9	1091^st of 1558 public elementary schools	30.0%	15	15.8		45.5	81.8	21.1		20.0		54.5	72.7	52.6		40.0		58.3%	0%	$10,065
Thoreau Park Elementary School	Public	K-4	5401 W 54th St	Parma	44129	Cuyahoga County	Parma City	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(440) 885-2352	483	27	17.8	65.2%	295 (61.1%)	36 (7.5%)	102 (21.1%)	6 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (9.1%)	45.5	958^th of 1560 public elementary schools	38.6%		47.6	931^st of 1558 public elementary schools	40.2%	27			55.7	57.9					60.7	60.0					94.8%	5.2%	$12,556
Constellation Schools: Old Brooklyn Community Elementary	Public, Charter	K-4	4430 State Rd	Cleveland	44109	Cuyahoga County	Constellation Schools: Old Brooklyn Community Elementary	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(216) 661-7888	360	16	22.2	70.0%	121 (33.6%)	89 (24.7%)	127 (35.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	22 (6.1%)	14.5	1337^th of 1560 public elementary schools	14.3%		5	1501^st of 1558 public elementary schools	3.7%	164			33.3	46.4					24.2	39.1					88.2%	8.8%	$9,026
Ridge-Brook Elementary School	Public	K-4	7915 Manhattan Ave	Parma	44129	Cuyahoga County	Parma City	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(440) 885-2350	341	19	17.9	55.4%	197 (57.8%)	51 (15.0%)	41 (12.0%)	15 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	36 (10.6%)	39.1	1040^th of 1560 public elementary schools	33.3%		54.9	818^th of 1558 public elementary schools	47.5%	222			50.0	63.2					41.2	63.2					89%	2.4%	$13,314
Charles A Mooney School	Public	PK, KG-8	3213 Montclair Ave	Cleveland	44109	Cuyahoga County	Cleveland Municipal	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(216) 838-3200	305	23	13.2	93.4%	94 (30.8%)	111 (36.4%)	79 (25.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	18 (5.9%)	12.7	1367^th of 1560 public elementary schools	12.4%		19.9	1264^th of 1558 public elementary schools	18.9%	103	22.2	16.1	33.3	40.6	38.9	19.2	13.8	6.9	29.6	28.1	44.4	23.1	34.5	9.4	61.1%	5.6%	$13,672
Brooklyn School	Public	K-7	9200 Biddulph Rd	Brooklyn	44144	Cuyahoga County	Brooklyn City	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(216) 485-8127	668	38	17.5	—	275 (41.2%)	68 (10.2%)	192 (28.7%)	83 (12.4%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	46 (6.9%)	43	993^rd of 1560 public elementary schools	36.3%		48	927^th of 1558 public elementary schools	40.5%	66	61.6		47.6	53.7	43.8	41.7	35.1		70.9	58.8	65.8	40.5	52.1		95.8%	2.8%	$13,080
Global Village Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	5720 State Rd	Parma	44134	Cuyahoga County	Global Village Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(216) 767-5956	235	10	22.9	—	229 (97.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	70.4	530^th of 1560 public elementary schools	66.0%		77.1	382^nd of 1558 public elementary schools	75.5%	148	81.8	81.8	72.0	100.0	72.7	69.6	71.4	56.3	48.0	77.8	81.8	52.2	85.7	54.5	33.3%	22.2%	$8,678
John Muir Elementary School	Public	K-4	5531 W 24th St	Parma	44134	Cuyahoga County	Parma City	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(440) 885-2424	526	27	19.4	51.7%	289 (54.9%)	51 (9.7%)	92 (17.5%)	20 (3.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	73 (13.9%)	40.9	1020^th of 1560 public elementary schools	34.6%		54	828^th of 1558 public elementary schools	46.9%	192			54.5	67.3					56.0	47.6					86.7%	7.6%	$11,881
Denison	Public	PK, KG-8	3799 W 33rd St	Cleveland	44109	Cuyahoga County	Cleveland Municipal	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(216) 838-3250	255	13	19.6	98.8%	58 (22.7%)	86 (33.7%)	80 (31.4%)	5 (2.0%)	2 (0.8%)	3 (1.2%)	21 (8.2%)	37.2	1060^th of 1560 public elementary schools	32.1%		34.2	1076^th of 1558 public elementary schools	30.9%	16	52.0	0.0	66.7	63.0	36.0	22.7	19.2	27.3	59.3	70.4	52.0	18.2	30.8	13.6	85.4%	0%	$15,751

Frequently Asked Questions about William Rainey Harper

What schools do graduates of William Rainey Harper attend?

Students who attend William Rainey Harper usually go on to attend:

High : Bard Early College Cleveland
High : Campus International High School
High : Cleveland Early College High
High : Cleveland High School for the Digital Arts
High : Cleveland School of Architecture & Design
High : Cleveland School of Science & Medicine
High : Cleveland School Of The Arts High School
High : Davis Aerospace & Maritime High School
High : John Marshall School of Business and Civic Leadership
High : John Marshall School of Information Technology
High : Lincoln West School Of Global Studies
High : Lincoln West School of Science & Health
High : MC^2 STEM High School
High : Rhodes School of Environmental Studies

What is the racial makeup of William Rainey Harper?

Students at William Rainey Harper are 35% White, 34% Hispanic, 24% African American, 4% Two or more races.

What district is William Rainey Harper in?

Cleveland Municipal

Is William Rainey Harper a good school?

William Rainey Harper ranks 827^th of 1560 Ohio elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend William Rainey Harper?

In the 2024-25 school year, 423 students attended William Rainey Harper.

Rate William Rainey Harper!

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Latest Ohio data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 immunization ratesOct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 15, 2026

2025–26 Ohio State Tests scoresSep 15, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJan 6, 2026

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.