Best Public Schools in Zip Code 44854

ZIP code 44854 is New Washington, Ohio, and all three schools here — Buckeye Central Elementary School (PK–4, 261 students), Buckeye Central Middle School (5–8, 198 students) and Buckeye Central High School (9–12, 185 students) — sit at the same address, 938 S Kibler St, forming one PK–12 campus of 644 students in the Buckeye Central Local district. The district ranks 186 of 773 statewide, in the 76th percentile with 4 stars. Free/reduced lunch percentages are blank for all three schools in 2024–25, so they are unknown and cannot be used to compare socioeconomic backgrounds.

The elementary school is the standout. Its state rank percentile climbed from 72nd to 77th to 86th (rank 221 of 1,560, 4 stars), with 2025–26 proficiency of 85.4% in 3rd grade math, 84.4% in 4th grade math, 78% in 3rd grade ELA and 84.4% in 4th grade ELA — all well above state — plus the lowest chronic absenteeism at 7.7%. The middle school is the main concern: its rank percentile slipped from 89 to 87 to 67 and its stars from 4 to 3, with the highest absenteeism (13.9%) and student-teacher ratio (22). Even so, 5th grade science (78.9%), 8th grade science (77.3%), 6th grade math (74.4%) and Algebra I (100%) are bright spots, though that 100% likely reflects a small, select group of test-takers. The high school reports a 98.1% graduation rate, a 70th percentile rank with 4 stars, and above-state scores in all six reported End of Course subjects.

Absenteeism splits clearly by level: 7.7% at the elementary school, 13.9% at the middle school and 13.4% at the high school, against a district rate of 11.3%. Most reported scores beat state, but the exceptions are 8th grade math (44.8% vs 52%), 6th grade ELA (55.8% vs 56%) and 7th grade ELA (61.5% vs 62.7%). Year-to-year swings can be large at the middle school — 8th grade science fell from 94.2% to 77.3% and 8th grade math from 69.7% to 44.8%. The high school spends the most per student ($15,275) and the elementary school the least ($11,339), though that 2018–19 figure predates the 2024–26 scores, so it should not be read as a cause of results.