Summary:
ZIP code 45377 covers Vandalia, Ohio, and contains four schools — two elementaries, one middle school, and one high school — all serving the single Vandalia-Butler City district (statewide rank 346 of 773, 3 stars). Together they enroll about 2,238 students in a clean pipeline: Helke Early Learning Center (PK–K, 310 students) and Demmitt Elementary School (K–2, 373) feed Morton Middle School (6–8, 699), which feeds Butler High School (9–12, 856). One caveat for parents: the two elementaries have no current state test scores because they serve grades below Ohio's tested grades, and their only academic ratings date back to 2010-2013.
Butler High School is the strongest performer in the group, with a 97.7% graduation rate, the best ranking percentile here (61st, 3 stars), and proficiency well above the state in Biology (+18.1 points), English II (+18.5), American History (+14.5), and American Government (+12.7). Its weak spot is math: Geometry (33.5%) and Algebra I (46.2%) both fall below district and state. It also has the highest chronic absenteeism in the ZIP at 21.2%, compared with 16.2% district-wide. Meanwhile, Demmitt Elementary School has by far the lowest absenteeism at 9.0%, and Helke Early Learning Center has the largest classes, with a 20.6 student-teacher ratio.
Morton Middle School is the most contradictory school in the area. Its Algebra I (84.8%) and Geometry (75.6%) scores are among the best in the data, though those test-takers are an accelerated group. Its 8th grade math proficiency is just 18.2% against a 52% state rate — a 33.8-point gap — and seventh grade math is also below state, while 8th grade Science (70.9%) and ELA beat state. Morton is also the only school here at 2 stars, and its ranking has slipped from the 57th to the 49th percentile. The clearest theme for parents: high school English, science, and social studies are strong, but secondary math is the area needing the most attention.
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