Summary:
ZIP code 45414 in Dayton, Ohio contains four public schools serving roughly 2,286 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, split between two districts — Northridge Local and Vandalia-Butler City. Three of the four belong to Northridge Local: Northridge Elementary School (PK–5, 796 students), Northridge Middle School (6–8, 355 students), and Northridge High School (9–12, 493 students). The fourth is Smith Intermediate School (3–5, 642 students), part of Vandalia-Butler City.
Smith Intermediate School is the clear standout and the only school here performing at or above typical state levels, at the 61st percentile with 3 stars. It meets or beats the state in 6 of 7 tested subjects, including 80.5% proficiency in 5th grade ELA (state: 70.4%) and 77.3% in 5th grade math (state: 59.1%). Its chronic absenteeism of 14.9% is less than half that of every other school in the ZIP. The three Northridge Local schools sit in the bottom fifth of the state: average proficiency runs roughly 25 to 35 points below state norms, and chronic absenteeism runs from 34.4% at the elementary school to about 39% at the middle and high schools.
Two findings stand out for parents. First, Northridge High School graduates 97.4% of its students, yet posts 36.0% English II and just 3.3% Geometry proficiency — students are finishing, but proficiency data suggests many are not finishing with grade-level mastery. Second, Northridge Middle School recorded 78.6% Algebra I proficiency, well above the state, even as its 7th grade math sat at 9.3%; that Algebra I result likely reflects a small accelerated group rather than the school as a whole. Across all four schools, attendance and academic performance move together, and results decline with grade level within Northridge Local. Free/reduced-lunch data is unavailable for the three Northridge schools, so poverty comparisons between the two districts cannot be made.
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