Malabar Intermediate School

Malabar Intermediate School is a 660-student school serving grades 3–6 on West Cook Road in Mansfield, Ohio, and it is the largest school in its local comparison group, part of the Mansfield City district (district rank 520 of 773, 33rd percentile, 2 stars).

Academically, the school has earned 1 star for ten consecutive years, and in 2025–26 it ranked 1,281st of 1,560 Ohio schools — the 18th percentile, with its standing drifting down from the mid-20s in the mid-2010s. Across nine grade-and-subject tests, Malabar averages roughly 37% proficient, compared with about 42% for its district and 62% for Ohio; it is below the state in all nine and below its own district in eight. The lowest result is 5th-grade math at 21.0%, a 38-point gap to the state. About a mile away in the same district, Mansfield Spanish Immersion School sits at the 88th percentile with 4 stars, averages around 83% proficient in grades 3–6, and reports 9.0% chronic absenteeism versus Malabar's 26.9%.

The clearest positive story is attendance, which has fallen from 50% to 26.9% in four years, moving the school from above its district's rate to roughly level with it. Class size has also improved: at 13.2 students per teacher, Malabar's ratio is better than nearly every nearby school except the Spanish Immersion magnet. Students with disabilities perform better than the school average — in the mid-30s percentile versus the school's 18th — and 6th-grade math gained 15.5 points in a year to reach district parity. Third grade remains the weakest point relative to the district, which matters because it is the entry grade. Nearby comparisons suggest results are not dictated by demographics alone: Madison South Elementary School (Madison Local, 79.4% free/reduced lunch) and Eastview Elementary School (74.8% free/reduced lunch) both post higher proficiency and much lower absenteeism.