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Defiance High School

Q: Is Defiance High School a good school?

Defiance High School ranks 403 rd of 855 Ohio high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

403^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 855 Ohio High Schools

Better than 53% of Ohio high schools

Summary

Defiance High School is a public high school located in Defiance, Ohio, serving 713 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Defiance City School District, which is ranked 420 out of 828 districts in Ohio and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Defiance High School has seen a decline in its 4-year graduation rate, dropping from 99.4% in 2022-2023 to 97.1% in 2024-2025, though this is still higher than the state average. The school also struggles with a relatively high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 16.7% to 23.3% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average. Academically, the school's performance is mixed, with strong results in some subjects like American Government and Biology, but weaker performance in core subjects like Geometry and Algebra I.

When compared to nearby schools, Defiance High School's performance is generally in the middle of the pack. Schools like Miller City High School and Fairview High School consistently outperform Defiance High School in areas like test scores and graduation rates. However, the school is particularly noteworthy for its strong support of gifted and talented students, ranking 2nd out of 538 Ohio high schools in this area in 2017-2018. Conversely, the school's performance for its special education and low-socioeconomic status students is an area of concern, with some years ranking in the bottom quartile of Ohio high schools.

697

Students ?

15.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,994

Per pupil spending ?

64.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1755 Palmer Dr
Defiance, OH 43512-3422

(419) 784-2777

District: Defiance City

Feeder schools for Defiance High School:

Elementary:	Defiance Elementary School
Middle:	Defiance Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

64.3%

Hispanic:

26.1%

African American:

6.0%

See top rated Ohio high schools

Compare Defiance High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 33rd percentile in 2015 → 53rd in 2025

Strengths

✓97% graduate within 4 years

✓Ranking is trending up — up 20 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Ohio median (53rd percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school66%

District avg67%

Ohio avg62%

403^rd of 855

Ohio public high schools ?

Top 47%▲ up 20 pts since 2015

From bottom 33% (2015) to top 47% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Ohio High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

420^th of 828Defiance City 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	54.6	403 of 855	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.8	472 of 864	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.0	549 of 867	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.7	444 of 836	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.9	483 of 819	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.7	520 of 836	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.6	489 of 800	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	40.8	495 of 773	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	47.4	487 of 784	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	47.3	519 of 778	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	50.8	518 of 769	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	54.3	492 of 767	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	66.4	321 of 832	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	57.8	490 of 818	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	57.5	472 of 819	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	64.2	330 of 791	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2008	63.6	320 of 767	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	57.6	422 of 756	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	52.0	426 of 696	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2005	32.7	553 of 689	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	61.3	292 of 681	57.1%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2024	52.7	141 of 318	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.0	147 of 323	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.3	128 of 303	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.4	76 of 279	72.8%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2022	23.5	486 of 606	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.4	517 of 596	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.6	505 of 628	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	56.9	165 of 550	70.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	54.6	443 of 809	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.0	464 of 798	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.0	597 of 813	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	42.9	506 of 794	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.5	558 of 775	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	47.0	524 of 781	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.7	378 of 751	49.7%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2018	76.2	2 of 538	99.6%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	59.3	120 of 270	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.6	142 of 273	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.4	223 of 270	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	50.8	132 of 260	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.1	146 of 239	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.5	118 of 207	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.0	94 of 184	48.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	71.0	179 of 815	78.0%	★★★★☆
2024	52.3	415 of 822	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.2	601 of 805	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	50.3	409 of 773	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.9	539 of 763	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.7	511 of 779	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.7	333 of 758	56.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	61.7	333 of 817	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.4	452 of 816	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.9	479 of 819	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	57.4	354 of 808	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.9	399 of 778	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.3	472 of 792	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.8	451 of 763	40.9%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	56.0	186 of 617	69.9%	★★★★☆
2024	38.8	330 of 598	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.2	382 of 614	37.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	59.3	334 of 748	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.2	415 of 754	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.2	431 of 756	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.3	357 of 749	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.4	424 of 727	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.8	467 of 739	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.9	386 of 718	46.2%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2018)100th percentile+61 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)78th percentile+25 vs school

Special Education (2025)70th percentile+17 vs school

Male (2025)59th percentile+6 vs school

African American (2024)56th percentile+10 vs school

Hispanic (2025)56th percentile+3 vs school

White (2025)55th percentile~ school

Female (2025)45th percentile-8 vs school

Disabled (2022)20th percentile-27 vs school

By subject vs Ohio (2024-2025) ?

American Government73%~ state avg

Biology70%+4 vs state

English II69%+9 vs state

American History68%-3 vs state

Algebra I67%+8 vs state

Geometry48%+5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Defiance High School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	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 6th Grade	Ohio State Tests Mathematics 7th Grade	Ohio State Tests Mathematics 8th 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
Defiance High School	Public	9-12	1755 Palmer Dr	Defiance	43512	Defiance County	Defiance City	No	(n/a)	No	No	(419) 784-2777	697	45	15.4		448 (64.3%)	42 (6.0%)	182 (26.1%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (3.2%)	54.6	403^rd of 855 public high schools	52.9%		48.8	472^nd of 864 public high schools	45.4%	69		73.1	67.8							69.6	69.2	47.6	67.4	$11,994
Ayersville High School	Public	7-12	28046 Watson Rd	Defiance	43512	Defiance County	Ayersville Local	No	(n/a)	No	No	(419) 395-1111	326	22	15.0	54.3%	277 (85.0%)	1 (0.3%)	35 (10.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (3.4%)	72.3	156^th of 855 public high schools	81.8%		72.9	165^th of 864 public high schools	80.9%	9	71.1	91.2	85.9		70.8	32.0		79.2	84.4	80.0	75.8	60.3	69.6	$11,968
Tinora High School	Public	9-12	5921 Domersville Rd	Defiance	43512	Defiance County	Northeastern Local	No	(n/a)	No	No	(419) 497-2621	272	12	22.6	19.5%	240 (88.2%)	1 (0.4%)	21 (7.7%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.3%)	74.6	130^th of 855 public high schools	84.8%		76.8	111^th of 864 public high schools	87.2%	19		87.6	91.7							85.0	81.3	60.3	68.0	$17,447
Fairview High School	Public	9-12	6289 Us Highway 127	Sherwood	43556	Defiance County	Central Local	No	(n/a)	No	No	(419) 658-2378	254	18	14.4	92.5%	217 (85.4%)	3 (1.2%)	24 (9.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.5%)	76	110^th of 855 public high schools	87.1%		70.7	186^th of 864 public high schools	78.5%	76		86.8	86.3							85.3	72.6	68.9	82.0	$14,929
Continental Local High School	Public	7-12	5211 State Route 634	Continental	45831	Putnam County	Continental Local	No	(n/a)	No	No	(419) 596-3871	194	14	13.8	38.1%	181 (93.3%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	58.6	348^th of 855 public high schools	59.3%		58.8	351^st of 864 public high schools	59.4%	3	65.6	89.7	84.4		69.2	38.1		84.6	43.8	55.6	65.1	28.6	83.9	$18,408
Holgate High School	Public	6-12	801 Joe E Brown Ave	Holgate	43527	Henry County	Holgate Local	No	(n/a)	No	No	(419) 264-2521	216	23	9.3	65.3%	159 (73.6%)	2 (0.9%)	53 (24.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	52.5	438^th of 855 public high schools	48.8%		68.7	217^th of 864 public high schools	74.9%	221	70.3	58.8	75.6	42.4	52.6	50.0	44.1	65.0	75.7	85.4	82.5	38.9	43.8	$15,409
Four County Career Center	Public	7-12	22900 State Route 34	Archbold	43502	Henry County	Four County Career Center	No	(n/a)	No	No	(419) 267-3331	907	80	11.3	56.1%	785 (86.5%)	13 (1.4%)	105 (11.6%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Napoleon Junior/Senior High School	Public	7-12	701 Briarheath Ave Ste 123	Napoleon	43545	Henry County	Napoleon Area City	No	(n/a)	No	No	(419) 599-1050	743	50	14.9	44.0%	629 (84.7%)	2 (0.3%)	97 (13.1%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.6%)	65.6	252^nd of 855 public high schools	70.5%		72.7	166^th of 864 public high schools	80.8%	86	75.0	81.2	78.6		72.0	48.0		82.5	69.9	78.6	65.7	56.5	75.8	$14,091
Paulding High School	Public	9-12	405 N Water St	Paulding	45879	Paulding County	Paulding Exempted Village	No	(n/a)	No	No	(419) 399-4656	322	19	16.6	90.1%	276 (85.7%)	4 (1.2%)	27 (8.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.7%)	43	534^th of 855 public high schools	37.5%		41.2	540^th of 864 public high schools	37.5%	6		69.6	15.4							66.7	74.7	25.8	72.0	$13,623
Miller City High School	Public	9-12	200 N Main St	Miller City	45864	Putnam County	Miller City-New Cleveland Local	No	(n/a)	No	No	(419) 876-3173	257	11	23.3	18.7%	249 (96.9%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	86.9	22^nd of 855 public high schools	97.4%		87.3	22^nd of 864 public high schools	97.5%			91.2	95.7							93.6	89.6	78.7	94.4	$19,204

Frequently Asked Questions about Defiance High School

Is Defiance High School a good school?

Defiance High School ranks 403^rd of 855 Ohio high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into Defiance High School?

Defiance High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Defiance Elementary School
Middle : Defiance Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Defiance High School?

Students at Defiance High School are 64% White, 26% Hispanic, 6% African American, 3% Two or more races.

How many students attend Defiance High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 697 students attended Defiance High School.

What district is Defiance High School in?

Defiance City

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Schools in Defiance, OH

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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.