And Lakota and Ross schools also saw an elementary school from their Butler County districts make the top 150 list of schools as measured by academic student performance with demographic information also among the variables considered.
Fairfield Schools’ four buildings – Fairfield North, Fairfield West, Fairfield South and Compass Elementary – earned high marks from the magazine’s annual by state school review.
Fairfield’s leader – superintendent Billy Smith – said the review, which uses the Ohio Department of Education’s annual school performance grading but also includes enrollment demographic information, provides another valuable view on how the schools are serving all students regardless of their demographic background.
“We’re equally proud of how we’ve succeeded in educating all students,” said Smith.
“The other half of the ranking formula focuses on how well schools perform in the context of their student demographics. We understand that children come from diverse backgrounds, and we’ve worked hard to ensure that every student has access to high-quality instruction, support services, and resources that meet their individual needs.”
“This focus on both achievement and equity is at the heart of our school’s mission and we believe this recognition reflects the combined efforts of our community to provide an environment where every student can thrive, both academically and personally,” said Smith.
The10,000-student school system enrolls students from both the city of Fairfield and adjacent Fairfield Twp.
Denise Hayes, principal of Fairfield North Elementary, echoed Smith, adding: “Our success directly results from the hard work and dedication of our students, teachers, and staff.”
“We’re so blessed to have the support of our entire school community. We have created an environment that emphasizes academic excellence in mathematics and reading while incorporating social-emotional learning to support every child in achieving their full potential,” said Hayes.
Other notable higher rankings in Butler County included Lakota’s Independence Elementary in Liberty Twp. – ranked 50th in the state - and Ross Schools’ Morgan Elementary in Ross Twp. with a 128th rank in Ohio.
Morgan was also one of a handful of schools in southwest Ohio region to have recently earned the prestigious National Blue Ribbon Award from the U.S. Department of Education for overall academic excellence.
Earlier this year, Morgan was one of just 356 school in the nation, and among only 14 in Ohio – including the only school building in Butler County to receive the national Blue Ribbon honor.
William Rice, superintendent of Ross Schools, described Morgan’s latest honor as reflecting the elementary’s leadership’s “commitment to the staff, school, and community, the dedication of the experienced and invested staff, and the strong partnership with a community that deeply values education.”
“Together, they’ve built an environment where every student can thrive and reach their fullest potential,” said Rice.
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