Best Public Schools in Zip Code 43357

ZIP code 43357 is served by three public schools — West Liberty-Salem Elementary School (K–5), West Liberty-Salem Middle School (6–8), and West Liberty-Salem High School (9–12) — all belonging to the single West Liberty-Salem Local district, which sits on one campus in West Liberty, Ohio, and enrolls 1,128 students. The elementary school is the largest at 480 students (42.6% of the K–12 total), ahead of the high school at 366 (32.4%) and the middle school at 282 (25.0%). The district ranks 96th of 773 Ohio districts, in the 88th percentile with 4 stars, and all three schools earned 4 stars in 2025–26; the high school had been 5-star in 2023–24.

Academically, the district beats Ohio's averages almost everywhere — of 22 reported 2025–26 test results, only one falls below the state rate. West Liberty-Salem Elementary School is strongest in math: 89% in 3rd grade, 83.3% in 4th, and 86% in 5th, against state rates of 62.1%, 67.3%, and 59.1%. West Liberty-Salem Middle School excels in English language arts (80.5%–81.7%) and 8th grade science (91.3% versus 61.2% statewide), and reports 100% proficiency in End-of-Course Biology and Algebra I. West Liberty-Salem High School posts a 100% graduation rate and leads in American Government (93.1%) and American History (91.3%), with every reported high school EOC subject above the state average.

Three points are worth watching. First, 7th grade math at the middle school is the only below-state result: 41.8% versus 48.6% statewide, down sharply from 70.7% a year earlier. Second, chronic absenteeism rises with grade level — 7.7% at the elementary school, 11.7% at the middle school, and 17.8% at the high school, compared with a district rate of 11.8%; the high school's rate sits 6.0 points above the district. Third, the high school's standing has eased from 5 stars and 92nd percentile in 2023–24 to 4 stars and 86th percentile in 2025–26, even as test scores and graduation rates stay strong. Note that free/reduced-price lunch data is reported only for the elementary school (75.62%) and spending figures date to 2018–19, so treat those as context rather than current comparisons.