Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 44146

ZIP code 44146 in Bedford, Ohio is served by a single middle school: Heskett Middle School, which enrolls 592 students in grades 6 through 8 as part of the Bedford City district. Because there is only one middle school in this ZIP code, parents should read this as a detailed profile of that school rather than a comparison between local options. The district itself ranks 670 of 773 in Ohio, placing it in the 13th percentile with a 1-star rating, so the most useful comparisons are between Heskett, its district, and the state as a whole.

The school's clearest strength is advanced math. In 2025-26, Heskett students scored 81.8% proficient in Geometry End-of-Course exams against a 43.3% state rate and a 30% district rate, and 80.8% in Algebra I against 61.6% statewide and 41.1% in the district. Those End-of-Course classes typically serve a small, self-selected group of accelerated students, so results can swing with just one or two students — Geometry, for example, moved from 100% in 2024-25 to 81.8% the following year. The broader picture is very different: across the seven grade-level tests taken by the full enrollment, Heskett averages roughly 27% proficient versus about 56% statewide, with gaps from 18 to 41 points. The weakest result is 8th-grade math at 12.5%, while 7th-grade ELA at 43% is the strongest core subject.

Chronic absenteeism stands at 41.2%, nearly identical to the district's 41.4% — roughly two in five students are chronically absent, a likely driver of the low grade-level proficiency. Other context is limited: the 15.1 student-teacher ratio is unremarkable, the $9,356 per-student spending figure dates to 2018-19, and free/reduced lunch status was not reported. Heskett has held a 1-star rating near the 19th–20th percentile for three years, though it consistently outranks its own district. Encouragingly, six of seven grade-level tests improved in 2025-26, led by 6th-grade ELA (+6.4 points) and 6th-grade math (+6.0); the main concerns are an 8th-grade science drop of 12.8 points and 6th grade scoring below even the district in both years.