Best Public Schools in Zip Code 45780

Zip code 45780 in The Plains, Ohio, is served by two public schools, both part of the Athens City School District: Athens High School, a grades 9–12 high school with 685 students, and The Plains Intermediate School, a grades 4–6 middle school with 500 students. The area summary lists no elementary school and no school covering grades 7–8, so the available data covers only part of the local K–12 pipeline.

Athens High School stands out for a strong 94.1% graduation rate, matching the district, and generally solid End-of-Course results. Its best 2025–2026 result is American Government at 84.2% proficient, 12.6 points above the state’s 71.6%, while English II is at 70.5% (7.8 points above state) and Geometry at 53.7% (10.4 points above state). Algebra I is the clear red flag: 49.2% proficient, 12.4 points below state and 13.1 points below the district — a 35-point gap from its strongest subject. Chronic absenteeism is high at 35.8%, above the district’s 26.4%. The school ranked 378 of 795, the 52nd percentile with 3 stars, in 2025–2026, down from the 61st percentile the year before. Spending was $10,547 per student (2018–2019), with a student-teacher ratio of 15.2.

The Plains Intermediate School reports much lower chronic absenteeism at 19.9%, compared with the district’s 26.4%. Its brightest spot is 6th grade, where ELA reached 65.9% (9.9 points above state) and Math 61.3% (5.1 points above state), both improving year over year. Fifth grade is the concern: Science, Math, and ELA were all below state in 2025–2026 after being above state the prior year. Fourth grade was mixed, with Math at 72.2% (+4.9) and ELA at 67.5% (+5.7). The school spends $9,900 per student (2018–2019) with a ratio of 16.9 — less money and larger classes than the high school, which nonetheless struggles in Algebra I. Free/reduced lunch percentages are blank for both schools, so socioeconomic context is unavailable.