Cincinnati Public Schools achieved a key educational milestone in the state’s latest performance evaluations, earning an overall three-star rating on the annual report cards issued by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. The newly released evaluation for the 2025-26 academic year marks a noticeable step forward for the district, which had received 2.5 stars in each of the preceding two school years.
The comprehensive evaluation highlighted strong gains in academic testing, establishing Cincinnati Public Schools as the leader among Ohio’s large urban peer districts in student proficiency. In comparisons with counterpart districts such as Columbus, Dayton, and Akron, Cincinnati posted the highest proportion of students testing proficient or higher on state examinations during the 2025-26 school calendar.
Under the state’s five-star accountability system, a three-star overall designation indicates that a school district is successfully meeting state educational standards. Districts receiving ratings below three stars are classified as needing additional support to reach baseline benchmarks, while ratings above three stars indicate that a district has exceeded state expectations.
Despite the broader gains in academic proficiency, the district experienced a notable decline in its high school completion metric. Cincinnati Public Schools dropped to a one-star rating in the graduation component, representing a decrease from the two-star score recorded during the prior reporting period and underscoring persistent challenges in student retention through graduation.
A major contributor to the district’s elevated overall score was a substantial jump in student academic growth. In the progress component, which evaluates year-over-year improvement or decline on state standardized tests relative to the preceding two school years, the district doubled its rating from two stars in the previous cycle to four stars in the current evaluation.
District leadership shared the positive developments during a Monday night school board meeting. Superintendent Shauna Murphy formally briefed board members on the district's advancement to the three-star overall threshold and outlined the specific areas where students made measurable academic strides.
Cincinnati Public Schools serves more than 33,000 students, solidifying its position as the second-largest public school system in the state of Ohio. Operating at this scale means that the district’s performance metrics carry significant weight within regional and statewide public education assessments.
The arrival of the improved report card coincides with an important period of community outreach, as the district prepares to face voters in the upcoming general election. School officials had previously noted the heightened urgency to demonstrate educational progress while seeking voter approval for a 7-mill property tax levy designed to generate new local revenue.
The political and community scrutiny surrounding the state report cards has intensified this year, largely because district leaders are asking taxpayers for increased financial support. The newly documented gains provide school administrators with empirical evidence of progress as they make their case for renewed investment in the public school system.
When assessed alongside other major urban centers across Ohio, Cincinnati's academic standing proved uniquely resilient. Several of Ohio’s largest municipal districts—including Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Toledo—failed to satisfy baseline state standards this year, with each receiving overall scores of either 2 or 2.5 stars.
Across the state as a whole, relatively few school systems fell short of the state threshold. Of the 607 public school districts evaluated statewide by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, 38 districts failed to meet minimum performance standards after registering overall scores of 2.5 stars or lower.
A portion of those struggling districts are situated in Southwest Ohio. Six local systems in the region missed the three-star benchmark, including Middletown City, Mount Healthy City, North College Hill City, Finneytown Local, Lockland Local, and Clermont Northeastern Local.
Within Cincinnati Public Schools itself, state evaluators applied a special watermark to the published scores for George Hays-Jennie Porter School in the West End neighborhood. The elementary school was included in a broader state review involving dozens of traditional public and charter schools across Ohio that exhibited significant testing anomalies on standardized exams.
State education authorities noted that no formal allegations of wrongdoing or professional misconduct have been made against educators or testing coordinators at George Hays-Jennie Porter School. The matter remains under active investigation by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.
Taken together, the 2025-26 state report card presents a multifaceted portrait of Cincinnati Public Schools. While the sharp decline in four-year graduation metrics highlights areas requiring targeted intervention, the district’s surge in academic progress and its peer-leading proficiency rates illustrate broad momentum across its classrooms.
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