Summary:
The city of West Salem, Ohio is home to three schools that serve students from elementary through high school: Northwestern Elementary School, Northwestern High School, and Northwestern Middle School. These schools, part of the Northwestern Local district, demonstrate a mix of strengths and areas for improvement.
Northwestern Elementary School stands out as the top-performing school in the district, with consistently high academic proficiency rates in math, science, and English Language Arts. The school ranks in the top 20% of Ohio elementary schools and maintains a low chronic absenteeism rate, indicating a supportive learning environment. In contrast, the secondary schools in the district show more mixed results, particularly in mathematics, where proficiency rates at the middle and high school levels lag behind the state average. Addressing the challenges at the secondary level, such as the higher chronic absenteeism rates, could help improve overall academic performance.
Across all three schools, the student population is predominantly white, ranging from 95-96% white students. Exploring ways to increase diversity and inclusion within the school community could broaden students' perspectives and experiences. Additionally, the significant difference in per-student spending between the elementary ($10,387) and middle ($7,854) schools suggests a need for more equitable resource allocation to support student success throughout their educational journey.
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