Summary:
ZIP code 44112 in East Cleveland is served by two schools that cover the middle grades — W.H. Kirk Middle School (grades 6–8, 194 students) and Superior School for the Performing Arts (grades 3–8, 118 students). Both belong to East Cleveland City School District, which ranks 697th of 773 Ohio districts — about the 10th percentile — so both schools start from a challenging district context. Note that Superior is not a pure middle school; it spans grades 3–8, so only its 6–8 results compare directly with Kirk.
Superior School for the Performing Arts is the standout here: 2 stars and 699th of 1,046 statewide (33rd percentile), versus 0 stars for Kirk. It beat its own district average in 12 of the 13 tests it reported, exceeded the state average in 7th-grade math and 7th- and 3rd-grade English, and had far lower chronic absenteeism (37.7% vs. 52.0%) and smaller classes (11.8 vs. 12.9 students per teacher). On the six tests both schools reported in grades 6–8, Superior outscored Kirk on every one, by margins ranging from 3.9 points to 45.3 points. Its best result, 80% proficient in 7th-grade English, is the highest figure in the data set.
W.H. Kirk Middle School ranked in the bottom 5% of the state for a third straight year, and none of its seven reported tests matched even its district average. Its lowest result, 4.7% proficient in 7th-grade math, is the lowest in the data. Math is the shared weak spot: both schools lag the state in most math grades. Two cautions for parents — Superior's strong results come from small grade cohorts and swung sharply year to year, so treat them as directional, and neither school is above the state overall.
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