Summary:
Zip code 44001 is served by four schools — Powers Elementary School (PK–3), Walter G. Nord Middle School (4–5), Amherst Junior High School (6–8), and Marion L Steele High School (9–12) — all part of Amherst Exempted Village, rated 195th of 773 Ohio districts (75th percentile, 4 stars). Together they enroll roughly 3,533 students in a complete PK–12 pipeline. The four buildings look remarkably alike on background measures: free/reduced lunch spans just 1.92 points (33.5% to 35.4%) and student–teacher ratios span 1.3 students (19.3 to 20.6), so differences in results are building-level signals rather than demographic ones.
Walter G. Nord Middle School is the clear standout, scoring above the state in all five tested subject/grade combinations in both years (+21.9 in 5th-grade math, +14.6 in science) with the group's lowest chronic absenteeism at 10.8%. Amherst Junior High School is strong in core math (+13.1 to +19.7 over state) and posts 100% Algebra I proficiency, though that reflects a small accelerated cohort, not all 8th graders. Marion L Steele High School graduates 98.9% and shines in English II (+17.0), biology, and history, but is the only school to lose a star (68th percentile, 3 stars) and carries 28.3% absenteeism. Powers Elementary School, the largest school, leads in 3rd-grade reading (+8.9) yet saw 3rd-grade math fall 9.8 points to 5.6 below state.
Three patterns matter most to families. Math strength fades between 8th grade and high school Geometry (+3.4 over state), and Steele's own English II (79.7) versus Geometry (46.7) is a 33-point internal spread. Absenteeism climbs steadily with grade level, from 10.8% to 28.3%, and the two lowest-absenteeism schools have the steadiest rankings. Momentum is mixed: Nord and the junior high hold 4 stars across three years, while Steele slipped in rank and several subjects declined. Note that spending figures are from 2018–19 and should not be read as current.
Thank you for your feedback!