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Clay Elementary School

Q: Is Clay Elementary School a good school?

Clay Elementary School ranks 814 th of 1558 Ohio elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

814^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,558 Ohio Elementary Schools

Better than 48% of Ohio elementary schools

Summary

Clay Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 316 students in grades PK-5 in Portsmouth, Ohio. The school is part of the Clay Local School District, which is ranked 446 out of 828 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Clay Elementary School faces several challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 18.3% to 24.7% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average and most nearby schools. The school's test scores are generally below the state averages, particularly in English Language Arts and Science, though they perform better in Mathematics, with 3rd and 4th-grade students outperforming the state average. Additionally, the school has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 44.81% to 58.23% in recent years, indicating a predominantly low-income student population.

When compared to nearby schools, such as Green Preschool, Bloom-Vernon Elementary School, and Wheelersburg Elementary School, Clay Elementary School generally performs worse on standardized tests and has higher chronic absenteeism rates. However, the school's performance in Mathematics is a bright spot, with 3rd and 4th-grade students outperforming the state average. The school has also seen a significant improvement in its student-teacher ratio, decreasing from 24.9 in 2021-2022 to 15 in 2023-2024, which may allow for more individualized attention and support for students.

326

Students ?

29.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,838

Per pupil spending ?

61%

Free/discounted lunch ?

44 Clay High St
Portsmouth, OH 45662-8817

(740) 354-6644

District: Clay Local

Students who attend Clay Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Clay Middle School
High:	Clay High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

94.5%

Hispanic:

2.5%

African American:

1.2%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 44th percentile in 2015 → 48th in 2025

Worth a look

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

!Science scores 14 pts below the Ohio average

!Large classes — about 30 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school63%

District avg63%

Ohio avg64%

814^th of 1,558

Ohio public elementary schools ?

Bottom 48%▲ up 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 44% (2015) to bottom 48% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Ohio Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

446^th of 828Clay Local 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	55.2	814 of 1558	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	66.1	625 of 1577	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.6	761 of 1596	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.5	747 of 1588	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.4	693 of 1610	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.7	899 of 1676	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	59.2	839 of 1636	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	59.7	869 of 1651	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	64.3	752 of 1678	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	55.2	949 of 1684	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2014	64.6	790 of 1687	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	58.6	956 of 1701	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	60.3	918 of 1709	46.3%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2018	55.0	386 of 1021	62.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	52.2	797 of 1452	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.3	784 of 1466	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.4	785 of 1483	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	57.9	737 of 1488	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.8	655 of 1467	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.6	831 of 1502	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	57.6	798 of 1518	47.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	58.6	658 of 1473	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.9	524 of 1484	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.5	511 of 1447	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.7	398 of 1419	72.0%	★★★★☆
2021	64.5	493 of 1404	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.2	566 of 1465	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.0	760 of 1465	48.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	49.0	866 of 1466	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	68.6	518 of 1485	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.0	669 of 1498	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.8	725 of 1518	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	61.3	653 of 1499	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.4	795 of 1535	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.7	814 of 1536	47.0%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	11.1	922 of 935	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Ohio percentile	Rating
2025	37.3	850 of 1175	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	45.9	743 of 1190	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.9	750 of 1215	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.7	832 of 1242	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.1	748 of 1249	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.2	841 of 1271	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.6	857 of 1309	34.5%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2018)62nd percentile+13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)55th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2025)45th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)41st percentile-7 vs school

White (2025)28th percentile-20 vs school

Special Education (2025)1st percentile-46 vs school

By subject vs Ohio (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics72%+8 vs state

English Language Arts59%-4 vs state

Science49%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Clay Elementary 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 Mathematics (2025)				Ohio State Tests English Language Arts (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 5th Grade	Ohio State Tests Mathematics 3rd Grade	Ohio State Tests Mathematics 4th Grade	Ohio State Tests Mathematics 5th Grade	Ohio State Tests Mathematics 6th Grade	Ohio State Tests English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Ohio State Tests English Language Arts 4th Grade	Ohio State Tests English Language Arts 5th Grade	Ohio State Tests English Language Arts 6th Grade	Total
Clay Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	44 Clay High St	Portsmouth	45662	Scioto County	Clay Local	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(740) 354-6644	326	11	29.6	61.0%	308 (94.5%)	4 (1.2%)	8 (2.5%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	55.2	814^th of 1558 public elementary schools	47.8%		66.1	625^th of 1577 public elementary schools	60.4%	189	48.9	84.0	80.0	51.1		66.0	65.7	46.8		$10,838
Stanton Primary Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	#1 Glenwood Tiger Trail	New Boston	45662	Scioto County	New Boston Local	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(740) 456-4637	136	11	12.3		128 (94.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.4%)								(n/a)		45.2				45.2				$15,408
Portsmouth Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	514 Union St	Portsmouth	45662	Scioto County	Portsmouth City	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(740) 353-6719	791	59	13.4		568 (71.8%)	56 (7.1%)	53 (6.7%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	109 (13.8%)	26.4	1161^st of 1558 public elementary schools	25.5%		26	1181^st of 1577 public elementary schools	25.1%	20	44.4	52.5	57.8	25.6	20.2	43.0	43.4	55.6	32.7	$10,987
Valley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1821A State Route 728	Lucasville	45648	Scioto County	Valley Local	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(740) 259-2611	442	21	21.0	55.2%	407 (92.1%)	1 (0.2%)	13 (2.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.5%)	63	666^th of 1558 public elementary schools	57.3%		74.7	441^st of 1577 public elementary schools	72.0%	225		67.1	87.0			67.1	58.4			$12,054
East Portsmouth Elementary	Public	K-6	5929 Harding Ave	Sciotoville	45662	Scioto County	Portsmouth City	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(740) 776-6444	134	10	13.4		124 (92.5%)	4 (3.0%)	4 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.5%)	20	1263^rd of 1558 public elementary schools	18.9%		12.6	1362^nd of 1577 public elementary schools	13.6%	99	27.3	52.2	16.7	18.2	19.0	73.9	41.7	31.8	13.0	$12,786
Portsmouth West Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	15332A Us Highway 52	West Portsmouth	45663	Scioto County	Washington-Nile Local	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(740) 858-1116	486	28	17.3		445 (91.6%)	3 (0.6%)	13 (2.7%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.5%)	49.9	897^th of 1558 public elementary schools	42.4%		54.4	863^rd of 1577 public elementary schools	45.3%	34		69.0	60.7			56.5	59.6			$12,394
Northwest Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4738 Henley Deemer Rd	Mc Dermott	45652	Scioto County	Northwest Local	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(740) 259-5558	566	38	14.8		550 (97.2%)	4 (0.7%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.4%)	68.8	551^st of 1558 public elementary schools	64.6%		62.6	702^nd of 1577 public elementary schools	55.5%	151	75.0	71.6	77.9	88.6		72.7	55.8	70.5		$12,215
Minford Primary Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	215 Falcon Rd	Minford	45653	Scioto County	Minford Local	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(740) 820-2287	405	20	20.2		395 (97.5%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.5%)								(n/a)		65.0				65.8				$10,466
Wheelersburg Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	800 Pirate Dr	Wheelersburg	45694	Scioto County	Wheelersburg Local	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(740) 574-8130	536	19	27.5	42.2%	484 (90.3%)	3 (0.6%)	16 (3.0%)	8 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (4.5%)								(n/a)		78.0				75.6				$8,923
Bloom-Vernon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	10529A Main St	South Webster	45682	Scioto County	Bloom-Vernon Local	No	(n/a)	No	No	(740) 778-2339	486	33	14.7		479 (98.6%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	82.7	232^nd of 1558 public elementary schools	85.1%		83.2	232^nd of 1577 public elementary schools	85.3%		83.1	69.2	93.7	79.7	76.2	84.8	84.1	93.2	61.9	$11,859

Frequently Asked Questions about Clay Elementary School

Is Clay Elementary School a good school?

Clay Elementary School ranks 814^th of 1558 Ohio elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Clay Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Clay Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Clay Middle School
High : Clay High School

What district is Clay Elementary School in?

Clay Local

What is the racial makeup of Clay Elementary School?

Students at Clay Elementary School are 94% White, 2% Hispanic, 1% African American.

How many students attend Clay Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 326 students attended Clay Elementary School.

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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.