Best Public Schools in Zip Code 45502

ZIP code 45502 in Springfield, Ohio is home to four public schools serving pre-kindergarten through 12th grade across two districts — Clark-Shawnee Local and Northwestern Local — with a combined enrollment of about 3,331 students. Each district operates one elementary school and one secondary school: Shawnee Elementary School (PK–6, 983 students) and Shawnee High School (9–12, 667) in Clark-Shawnee, plus Northwestern Elementary School (PK–6, 950) and Northwestern Junior/Senior High School (7–12, 731) in Northwestern. Because Northwestern's secondary school includes grades 7–8, it is not a perfectly parallel comparison to Shawnee High.

The strongest profiles are in Clark-Shawnee. Shawnee High School is the highest-ranked school here at the 67th percentile with 3 stars, has the lowest student-teacher ratio (16.2), the highest per-student spending ($10,911), a 96.0% graduation rate, and standout End-of-Course results in American History (83.3%), Biology (81.5%), and Integrated Math II (90.9%). It is trending down, though, from 4 stars and the 78th percentile, with Algebra I falling from 75.0% to 56.7%. Shawnee Elementary School is the math standout (4th grade math 81.1% vs. the state's 67.3%) and has the lowest chronic absenteeism at 12.9%. Northwestern Junior/Senior High School is steady at 3 stars and the 57th percentile, strong in American Government (80.0%) and Biology (74.8%), but 7th grade math is just 31.7% against the state's 48.6%, and absenteeism is the group's highest at 18.5%. Northwestern Elementary School ranks lowest (41st percentile, 2 stars), has the highest student-teacher ratio (22.0), and saw sharp declines in 5th and 6th grade ELA and 5th grade science.

Overall, both high schools post strong graduation rates (96.0% and 95.3%), absenteeism rises noticeably at the secondary level, and spending does not track closely with results — Northwestern Elementary spends more than Shawnee Elementary yet ranks lower. Math and reading performance also split differently by school, with elementary math a relative strength and upper-grade reading a shared weak spot.