Tuslaw Middle School

Tuslaw Middle School is a public school in the Massillon, Ohio area serving 432 students in grades 5–8 as part of Tuslaw Local; it ranks 158th of 1,046 Ohio middle schools in 2025–2026, placing it in the 85th percentile with 4 stars. The school has been consistently strong, rising from the 66th percentile in 2015–2016 to the 85th–94th range recently, peaking at 94th in 2020–2021 and reaching 91st in 2024–2025 before its current 85th. That dip is modest but worth watching, as it coincides with weaker 6th-grade ELA and lower recent rankings for some student groups.

Math and science are Tuslaw’s clearest academic strengths. In 2025–2026, every tested math and science grade was well above Ohio averages—often by 19–32 percentage points—and Algebra I was 100%, compared with 61.6% statewide, though several nearby schools also report 100%. ELA is more uneven: grades 5, 7, and 8 were solidly above state averages, but 6th-grade ELA was 55.9%, essentially at the state average and down sharply from 72.3% the prior year. Among nearby schools, Tuslaw’s 7th-grade math (79.6%) is the highest, while its 6th-grade ELA is near the bottom, roughly tied with Orrville Middle School and below Manchester Middle School, Northwest Middle School, Jackson Memorial Middle School, Pfeiffer Intermediate School, and Dalton Middle School.

Other factors are mixed but mostly favorable. Chronic absenteeism is 8.2%, below the district’s 10.6% and better than most nearby schools—only Northwest Middle School and Dalton Middle School are meaningfully lower. Tuslaw’s free/reduced-lunch rate (30.32%) is lower than most nearby peers, and spending was mid-pack. Its student-teacher ratio was 24:1, the highest among nearby middle schools, yet proficiency remains strong. Recent subgroup declines deserve attention: low-income students fell from the 95th/94th percentile to 73rd, and special education students fell from 91st to 74th—still respectable but a meaningful equity watch point. Overall, Tuslaw is stronger than Orrville Middle School, Fairless Middle School, and the Massillon Junior High School and Massillon Intermediate School, comparable to Manchester Middle School, Edison Middle School, and Jackson Memorial Middle School, while Northwest Middle School and Dalton Middle School rank higher overall.