Summary:
ZIP code 45358 in Arcanum, Ohio, is served by a single district, Franklin Monroe Local, which operates just two schools on one shared campus on Oakes Road: Franklin Monroe Elementary School (grades PK–6, about 290 students) and Franklin Monroe High School (grades 7–12, about 281 students). That is roughly 571 students in a compact PK–12 setting where most families simply move from one building to the next.
The elementary is clearly the standout, and for two straight years it was one of Ohio's elite elementaries: 88th of 1,558 schools (94th percentile, 5 stars) in 2024–2025 and 280th of 1,560 (82nd percentile, 4 stars) in 2025–2026. It beats the state on every one of the nine tests reported, including 92.5% proficient in 5th grade ELA (state: 70.4%) and 83.9% in 6th grade ELA versus the state's 56.0%. Even so, most subject scores declined this year — 3rd grade ELA fell 16.6 points — which lines up exactly with the slide from the 94th to the 82nd percentile. This is a dip from exceptional to very good, not a fall to average.
The high school is solid rather than elite, holding at 3 stars and 279th of 795 schools (65th percentile) in 2025–2026, with a 100% graduation rate in 2025–2026. Despite 58.36% of students on free/reduced lunch, it beats the state on 7 of 9 tests, led by science and ELA. Its weak points are in math: 8th grade math was below the state in both years, and Geometry EOC dropped 12.5 points to 33.3%, below the state's 43.3%. Chronic absenteeism is very low at 3.0% elementary and 5.1% high school. The priorities are clear: reverse the elementary's broad decline and strengthen the 7th–10th grade math pipeline.
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