Summary:
Zip code 43734 has two schools, both in the Franklin Local district: Duncan Falls Elementary School (PK–5, 648 students) and Philo High School (9–12, 450 students). The area has no middle school and no alternative school, so local families likely go elsewhere for middle grades. District-wide, Franklin Local rates 37th percentile with 2 stars — an average that hides a big gap between its two schools.
Duncan Falls Elementary School is the standout. It ranks 595 of 1,560 (62nd percentile, 3 stars) and has climbed from the 49th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 57th and then 62nd, a 13-point gain. Its average proficiency across listed tests is 71.4%, above the district's 67.6% and the state's 63.8%. Third grade is exceptional: math at 85.2% and English language arts at 81.8%, both far above district and state, and fourth grade ELA jumped from 58% to 69.4%. Fifth grade math is 70%, about 11 points above state. Chronic absenteeism is 13.3%, well below the district's 21.5%. One watch item: fifth grade science fell from 68.8% to 60%, now slightly below both district and state.
Philo High School is the concern. It ranks 573 of 795 (28th percentile, 1 star), down from the 50th percentile two years earlier — a 22-point drop. Its tested proficiency average is 55.5%, below the district's 56.9% and the state's 63.2%. Humanities are a strength: American History is 80.2% (7 points above state), American Government is at state level, and the graduation rate is 97.3%, slightly above the district's 96.7%. Math and science lag badly: Geometry is 23.1% (20.2 points below state), Algebra I 48.1%, Biology 51.7%, and English II 58.5%. Chronic absenteeism is 28.1%, more than double the elementary school's rate and above the district's 21.5%. Philo also spends more per student ($10,535 in 2018–2019 vs. $8,856) with a lower student-teacher ratio (13.0 vs. 14.4), though that older spending data is not a current-year comparison.
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