Ross Intermediate School

Ross Intermediate School is a grades 4–5 school serving 374 students in Hamilton, Ohio, part of the Ross Local district, where it is one of two elementaries alongside Elda Elementary School (K–3), about a mile away. It now ranks 103rd of 1,560 Ohio schools — the 93rd percentile, 5 stars — up from 215th four years earlier, a climb of 112 places sustained across changing student cohorts.

On 2025–26 state tests, Ross students scored roughly 20–27 points above the state in every tested subject and grade, averaging about 87.5 percent proficient across its five grade 4–5 measures versus about 64.3 percent statewide. That puts it at the top of its comparison group. Fairfield West Elementary School, the nearest non-district peer at 3.6 miles, sits about 16 points lower, and the three Hamilton City elementaries nearby — Ridgeway Elementary School, Riverview Elementary School and Linden Elementary School — are 20–40 points lower. Fifth-grade math shows the widest gap at +26.5 points, and fourth-grade English language arts has gained 11.8 points in four years while the state gained 2.9. Attendance is strong too: 6.6% chronic absenteeism is the second lowest of eleven schools compared and less than a third of Riverview's 24.1%.

Subgroup results suggest the school isn't simply coasting on intake. Every group it reports ranks at or above the 85th percentile statewide each year, and in 2025–26 low-income and male students both reached the 96th percentile, female students the 95th, and special education students the 91st. About 29.95% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch — the lowest published figure among nearby schools, but still nearly a third of the student body — and these rankings compare similar students to similar students statewide. Two caveats: fourth-grade math has eased from a 91.5% peak in 2023–24 to 88.5%, still 21 points above the state, and no per-student spending figure is reported, so cost comparisons aren't possible.