Summary:
ZIP code 44413 covers East Palestine, Ohio, and contains exactly one middle school — East Palestine Middle School, serving grades 5 through 8 with 265 students as part of the East Palestine City district. With only one school in the area, the most useful comparisons are to Ohio statewide averages and between the school's own lower and upper grades.
The 2025–2026 results show clear improvement. The school met or beat the state on 6 of 11 reported measures, up from 4 of 11 the year before, and nine of eleven measures improved year over year. Algebra I stands out: 89.5% of test-takers scored proficient, 27.9 points above the state's 61.6% — though this is typically a selected, accelerated group, not the full 8th grade. Sixth grade was also strong in both math (67.7% vs. 56.2% state) and ELA (67.7% vs. 56.0%), with 5th grade close behind (math 64.9% vs. 59.1%; ELA 75.4% vs. 70.4%). The school's statewide rank climbed from the 33rd to the 48th percentile in two years.
The weak spot is the top of the building. All three 8th grade subjects fell below state levels, led by science at 39.4% versus 61.2% statewide — the largest gap in the data, and one that widened rather than improved. Eighth grade math (42.6% vs. 52.0%) and ELA (53.0% vs. 58.3%) also trailed. This "upper-grade fade" has repeated for two consecutive years, so it looks structural rather than a single cohort's dip. About one in four students (24.1%) is chronically absent, and the only spending figure available — $9,206 per student — dates from 2018–2019, with free/reduced-price lunch not reported. The bottom line: strong momentum in grades 5, 6, and Algebra I, but the gains have not yet reached 8th grade.
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