Best Public Schools in Zip Code 44502

Zip code 44502 contains six schools serving roughly 1,023 students from kindergarten through 12th grade: two elementary schools, three high schools, and one alternative school, with no standalone middle school — middle grades are instead provided through K–8, 3–12, 6–12, 7–12, and 8–12 configurations. Enrollment is concentrated in the elementary grades, where Youngstown Community School (356 students) and Taft Elementary School (274) together account for about 61.6% of students. The three high schools — Mahoning Valley Community School, Youngstown Virtual Academy, and Summit Academy Secondary - Youngstown — enroll 289 students combined, and Wilson Alternative School serves 104. Youngstown City schools enroll 478 students, while the remaining 545 attend independent community or charter districts.

Youngstown Community School has the strongest academic profile in the zip and is the only school with listed test results at or above Ohio averages — 3rd grade math at 65.9 versus the state's 62.1 and 8th grade ELA at 58.8 versus 58.3 — while improving from the 11th to the 28th percentile in its most recent rank and holding the lowest chronic absenteeism among brick-and-mortar schools at 22.4%. Youngstown Virtual Academy reports the best attendance and graduation figures, with 6.5% chronic absenteeism, far below the 56.7% district figure, and a 91.7% graduation rate, though its listed test scores average about 15.0%. Among high schools, Mahoning Valley Community School has the strongest End-of-Course results overall, with Geometry at 37.5 versus the state's 42.8.

Wilson Alternative School has the zip's highest chronic absenteeism at 81.5% and reports 0% in 6th and 7th grade math and 6th–8th grade ELA. Summit Academy Secondary - Youngstown ranks at the 1st percentile with 0 stars, a 70.4% graduation rate, 77.3% chronic absenteeism, and 2025–2026 scores including 0% in 8th grade science. Taft Elementary School has the highest reported per-student spending, $13,428, yet its 2025–2026 scores sit below both district and state — 5th grade math at 7.1% versus the state's 59.1%. Middle-grade math is a shared weak spot, and nearly every listed test falls below state averages.