Middle Schools in Lakewood City

The Lakewood City school district in Ohio is home to two middle schools, Harding Middle School and Garfield Middle School, which serve students in grades 6-8. Based on the available data, Harding Middle School emerges as the standout performer, consistently outpacing its counterpart on state assessments and earning a top-tier ranking among Ohio middle schools.

Harding Middle School boasts exceptional academic achievement, with over 70% of students proficient or better in Math and English Language Arts across multiple grade levels. The school's 8th-grade students also excel in Science, with 73.1% scoring proficient or better. Additionally, 100% of Harding Middle School students scored proficient or better on the Algebra I end-of-course exam, a remarkable accomplishment. In contrast, Garfield Middle School lags behind, with lower proficiency rates in core subjects.

The demographic and socioeconomic differences between the two schools may contribute to the performance gap. Harding Middle School serves a student population that is predominantly white (83.26%) and has a lower percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (27.25%) compared to Garfield Middle School, which has a more diverse student body and a higher proportion of economically disadvantaged students (44.71%). These factors, along with Harding Middle School's lower chronic absenteeism rate and higher per-student spending, may contribute to the school's superior academic outcomes within the Lakewood City school district.