Summary:
Zip code 44614 contains exactly one middle school: Northwest Middle School in Canal Fulton, Ohio. It serves grades 6–8 with about 405 students — roughly 135 per grade — and belongs to the Northwest Local district, which is itself highly rated (5 stars, 90th percentile among Ohio districts). The school has a student–teacher ratio of 14.4 to 1 (about 28 teachers), and 40% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, making it a mixed-income school. Because there is only one middle school in the zip code, the most useful comparison is against the district and the state rather than another local school.
Academically, Northwest Middle is a standout. It earned 5 stars in each of the last three years and ranked 63rd of 1,046 Ohio middle schools in 2025–2026 — the 94th percentile, and better than its own district's 90th percentile. Across two school years and eight assessments, all 16 reported test comparisons beat the Ohio average, usually by roughly 25 points. English Language Arts is the most consistent strength, never falling below 78.8% in any grade in either year and reaching 87–88% in grades 7 and 8. Eighth grade science held steady at 88.7% then 89.9%. Algebra I posted 100% proficiency both years, though that exam is taken by a small, selected group of accelerated students, so it reflects that cohort rather than the whole school. Chronic absenteeism is low at 5.2%, well below the district's 7.6%.
The main watch item is 8th grade math. The class that was in 7th grade in 2024–2025 slipped from 75.0% to 68.0% as 8th graders, while the younger class improved sharply in both math and ELA as it moved up — so math needs appear cohort-specific rather than school-wide. Note also that the per-student spending figure ($8,846) dates to 2018–2019 and is not adjusted for inflation, so it says little about current resources. Overall, this is a top-decile, high-performing school that consistently outperforms the state.
Thank you for your feedback!