Summary:
ZIP code 44507 contains four schools serving roughly 1,360 students: two K–8 elementary schools, Horizon Science Academy Youngstown and Southside Academy; one middle school for grades 5–8, Rayen Early College Middle School; and one high school for grades 9–12, Academy for Urban Scholars Youngstown. Enrollment is similar at three of them (439, 374, and 370 students), while Southside is much smaller at 177. Three operate as their own districts; Rayen belongs to Youngstown City, a district ranked at only the 8th percentile with 0 stars.
Rayen is the clearest bright spot. It has the lowest chronic absenteeism in the group at 32.1% (its district reports 56.7%), a rank percentile that rose from 37th to 48th, and every 2025–26 assessment above its district average — including Algebra I at 100% proficient, 8th grade math at 58.3% vs. the state's 52%, and 8th grade ELA at 64.9% vs. 58.3%. Horizon has the largest enrollment and steady rank improvement (33rd to 39th) with ELA strengths in grades 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8, though 4th grade math and ELA sit at 40.7%. Southside is sharply split: 3rd and 4th grade math and ELA are well above state, but 5th grade science, 8th grade science, and 8th grade math are extremely low.
Academy for Urban Scholars Youngstown faces compounding challenges: 95.3% chronic absenteeism, a student/teacher ratio of 46.7 versus 16.2–18.5 elsewhere, a 62.3% graduation rate, and End of Course results far below state. Across this small sample, the school with the lowest absenteeism has the strongest relative outcomes, and the one with the highest has the weakest — a pattern worth watching, though it does not prove cause. Spending figures are only available for 2018–19 and free/reduced lunch is not reported, so resource comparisons are limited.
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