Summary:
Zip code 43021 (Galena, Ohio) has three elementary schools — Johnnycake Corners Elementary School (PK–5, 611 students) and Walnut Creek Elementary (PK–5, 546 students), both in Olentangy Local, and Hylen Souders Elementary School (K–4, 289 students) in Big Walnut Local — serving 1,446 students combined.
The two Olentangy schools are the area's highest performers. Johnnycake Corners is the standout for 2025–2026: ranked 116 of 1,560 (93rd percentile, 5 stars), averaging about 86.6% proficiency across seven reported tests, with the lowest chronic absenteeism of the three at 3.5%. Its top scores include 4th-grade math 92.9 and 5th-grade ELA 91.4. Walnut Creek is a close, consistent second — ranked 192 of 1,560 (88th percentile, 4 stars) and 4-star in each of the past three years, with a 2025–2026 average of about 83.6% and absenteeism of 4.7%. Both are well below Olentangy Local's 9.2% absenteeism, and both beat the state average in every reported subject and grade.
Hylen Souders serves a different population and context: 27.34% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, versus 6.55% and 8.61% at the Olentangy schools, and its absenteeism is 9.6% — below Big Walnut Local's 12.1% but higher than the other two. It has improved, moving from a rank of 712 in 2021–2022 to 559 in 2023–2024, and its 2025–2026 3rd-grade math (66.3) and ELA (71.3) exceed state averages while trailing its district. Per-student spending and student/teacher ratios are similar across all three schools, so they don't by themselves explain the achievement gaps.
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