Toll Gate Elementary

Toll Gate Elementary is a K–4 school serving 948 students in Pickerington, Ohio, in the Fairfield County area, and is part of the Pickerington Local district. It is by far the largest school in its comparison group — roughly 45% bigger than the next-largest same-district elementary — and it has ranked in the top 11% of Ohio elementary schools in every reported year of the past decade, reaching 92nd percentile with 5 stars in 2025–2026.

Achievement is the headline. In 2025–2026, 89.4% of Toll Gate third graders were proficient in math (state average: 62.1%), and 88.1% of fourth graders were proficient in math (state: 67.3%). Only Sycamore Creek Elementary School, a same-district school 4.28 miles away, matches it — edging ahead in grade 4 (88.6 math, 82.9 English language arts) while trailing in grade 3. Tussing Elementary School, also in the district, sits 35–45 points lower at every grade. Toll Gate also posts the lowest chronic absenteeism in the group at 7.0%, well below its district's 18.3%, while spending mid-pack per pupil ($10,825) — less than Heritage Elementary School's $12,305, which posts lower results.

Results by student group are the most striking story. Measured against Ohio schools serving similar students, Toll Gate ranks 98th percentile for Black students (10th of 631 schools) and 99th percentile for low-income students. Special education students have slipped, though — from 93rd percentile in 2023–24 to 76th, then 72nd. Asian students rank around average, at 48th percentile, within a small cohort where year-to-year swings are less meaningful. Girls consistently outrank boys (94th vs. 86th percentile). The bottom line: a decade of consistently high results, the best attendance in its peer group, and unusually strong outcomes for groups that often lag statewide. The main things to watch are the special education trend and the grade 4 gap with Sycamore Creek.