Best Public Schools in Zip Code 44451

ZIP code 44451 is home to three traditional public schools serving grades K–12 — Jackson-Milton Elementary School (K–5, 391 students), Jackson-Milton Middle School (6–8, 210 students), and Jackson-Milton High School (9–12, 170 students) — all within the Jackson-Milton Local district, enrolling 771 students combined. The elementary school accounts for about half of that enrollment. District-wide, Jackson-Milton Local ranks 131st of 773 Ohio districts, placing it in the 83rd percentile with a 4-star rating.

The middle school is the strongest of the three. It ranks 104th of 1,046 schools statewide — the 90th percentile — and earned 5 stars, up from 4 stars in the two prior years. It beat the state average in all seven reported 2025–2026 test subjects, with an average of 78.7% proficient versus the state's 56.4%. Its math results stand out most: 6th-grade math at 88.9% versus 56.2% statewide and 7th-grade math at 81.2% versus 48.6%. It also has the lowest chronic absenteeism of the three at 15.2%. The high school is also strong, ranking 153rd of 795 (81st percentile, 4 stars), with a 98.4% graduation rate and all six End-of-Course exams above state averages.

The main concern is at the high school, where chronic absenteeism is 26.1% — well above the district's 18.4% and higher than both other schools. The elementary school ranks 472nd of 1,560 (70th percentile, 3 stars), above state averages in six of seven tests but with more uneven grade-level results, including 4th-grade math at 59.7% versus the state's 67.3%. Its absenteeism is 16.5%. Notably, the middle school achieves its high results despite the highest student-teacher ratio (30) and the lowest reported 2018–2019 per-student spending ($8,332). Overall, this is a strong small-district system where all three schools generally perform above state averages.